


Regina's Little Girl

by postmortem



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Age Play, Age Regression/De-Aging, Ageplay, Caretaking, Comfort, F/F, Idiots in Love, Illness, Mental Health Issues, Past Abuse, Swan Queen - Freeform, kinky idiots, sick puppy emma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-21
Updated: 2017-05-05
Packaged: 2018-06-09 21:45:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 29,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6924652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/postmortem/pseuds/postmortem
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emma is sick, and Regina takes care of her. But then, things go in a direction that neither of them have anticipated.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TabooExistence](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TabooExistence/gifts).



> [TabooExistence](http://archiveofourown.org/users/TabooExistence/) requested an age play story recently (thank you, my first request! :D), and since I'm up for the challenge, although I've never written anything like this, I guess I'll just throw it out there. It's harmless enough, for now. At least until it isn't.
> 
> Emma and Regina are both adults in this fic.
> 
> I'm kinda into it, so I might continue. Anyone interested? 
> 
> UPTDATES: 
> 
> It's being continued, click on next chapter! :)
> 
> The first three chapters don't involve any sexual age play (yet). Well. A little bit, maybe. But not really. Later chapters certainly do.

Regina Mills and Emma Swan were sitting in Regina’s study, the blonde on the sofa with a tablet, and the brunette in an armchair, her laptop on the coffee table. Henry was spending the night at a friend’s house, so it was the perfect evening to start planning for his birthday present.

“This is nice, us doing this together”, Regina broke the silence.

Emma smiled at the mayor, and then launched into a coughing fit. Her cold had gotten worse by the hour, and she felt like her lungs were going to burst.

Regina looked at her, concerned. “You really don’t sound good. Shall we finish this some other time so you can go rest?”

Emma gave her a pained look. “Thank you, but I’m fine. Just remind me to move out next time my little brother is sick.”

The mayor smiled, and said “Alright, but let me go make you some tea, you look like you could use it.”

“Thank you, Regina”, Emma sighed, and slumped back into the comfortable cushions as the brunette got up and walked into the kitchen. Emma heard the sounds of cupboards and drawers being opened and closed. Then, Regina’s footsteps on the stairs. A few minutes later, the brunette came back into the study with a soft blanket in her hands. “You were shivering”, she said, and she gently draped it around Emma’s body, tucking it in behind her. Emma smirked. “Thanks, mommy.” Regina startled for a second, and then she smiled, and said “I’ll be back with the tea in a minute”.

When she did come back, she was carrying a tray that held a big mug, a jar of honey, and a little tin that Emma didn’t recognize. She sat down on the couch next to the sheriff, and started to stir honey into the tea with a spoon. Then, she took it out, and put it back on the tray. When Emma reached out to take the cup, Regina said “Wait, it’s still too hot.”

Emma leaned back, and smiled at the mayor. Regina took the tin off the tray, and held it up. “I have this ointment that I used to put on Henry when he was sick as a child. He won’t let me do it anymore, but he still uses it. It’s made from eucalyptus, and it opens your airways and helps with the cough. I thought I’d bring it, in case you wanted to try…”

Emma looked at her gratefully. “Sure, I’ll try it. How do I…”

“You put it on your back, and on your… chest.”

“Would you, I mean, I can’t… could you help me with my back?”

Regina felt herself blush, and quickly looked down at the ointment in her hand. “I… yes, of course… you’ll need to turn around and lift up your shirt though…”

Emma turned her back to Regina, hesitated for a moment, and then pulled her sweatshirt up to her neck.

Regina just stared at the pale skin in front of her. Emma was wearing a black sports bra, and she had freckles on her shoulders and the upper part of her back. As Emma pulled her knees up to her chest and slung her arms around them, the brunette could clearly see well-defined muscles rippling under soft skin. Tiny little hairs were standing up, probably from the sudden change in temperature. Regina realized that she was going to be touching that skin in a moment, and she took a deep breath, and opened the little tin. She dipped her fingers into the gooey substance, and lifted her hand up towards Emma’s back.

At the first touch, Emma sighed. Regina started applying the ointment between the two straps of Emma’s bra, then upwards, to the the blonde’s neck, lingering longer on the adorable spots on the blonde’s back, but not too long, so Emma wouldn’t notice.

“My mother used to make this when I was sick. I always felt so nice and cared for when she put it on me. She wasn’t always the warmest person, but she always did take really good care of me when I was sick. And as strange as it sounds, those are some of my fondest memories I have of her.”

She kept rubbing the blonde’s back, and she didn’t realize that something was wrong until a soft sob that had started as a sigh escaped Emma. Regina’s heart clenched painfully.

“Emma?” She put her clean hand on Emma’s shoulder, and gently turned the sheriff toward her. Emma’s head was lowered, her face hidden by a curtain of hair. There were two wet spots on the fabric of the blanket that was still draped over her knees. The mayor’s hand kept stroking Emma’s back.

“Emma... I wasn’t thinking. I realize you never had a mother to do this for you when you were a child. That was very insensitive of me, I’m so sorry.”

The blonde didn’t say anything. Regina’s hand on her shoulder slid down her arm, then up again, trying to comfort the sheriff. Another choked sob tore through Emma.

“Do you want me to stop?”, Regina asked, her voice barely more than a whisper. Emma slowly shook her head. The mayor resumed stroking her back and arm. She wasn’t sure what to do. She knew what she _wanted_ to do, but they had never been this physically close before, and she didn’t want to cross any lines and make Emma uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry”, Emma whispered. “It’s just that nobody has ever taken care of me like this, and I’m sure it’s just because I’m sick, but I… I’m…” She put her face into her hands, and cried, and it was heartbreaking.

“Oh Emma.” Regina moved her hand from Emma’s back to her other shoulder, slid her shirt back down, and gently pulled her friend against her own body. She took the blanket, and draped it around the sheriff again, then wrapped her arms around Emma’s middle, and rested her chin on the blonde’s shoulder. Before she could even start thinking about it, she said “Let me take care of you.”

“You don’t have to…”

“I kind of do. It’s my fault you were so alone as a child. And also, I want to. If you let me.”

Emma’s tears were streaming down her face, and Regina lifted her head, and brushed her lips over the blonde’s wet cheek. Emma released a shuddering sigh, and then Regina felt her body relax. She pulled out one of her hands from under the blanket, and guided Emma’s head to her shoulder, so that the blonde was lying with her cheek against her. She stroked her hand across the sheriff’s face, and then through her long blonde locks, over and over. Emma was still crying, and Regina knew that she was probably emotional from her cold, but also because of memories and feelings she had suppressed for so long.

After a few minutes, Emma’s sobs came less frequently. Regina reached for the box of tissues on the side table, and handed one to the sheriff. “Here, blow your nose.”

“Thanks”, Emma said. Regina reluctantly let go of her, and waited until she was done. The blonde looked lost. “I’m sorry, Regina. I’m not usually so needy.”

The mayor sighed. “I meant it”, she said, “I am always here for you, Emma. No matter what you need. And please stop apologizing. You are human, you have feelings. I’m honoured you’re letting me see them.”

Emma looked her in the eyes for the first time since she had broken down, and it broke Regina’s heart how sad and vulnerable she looked. She seemed to be searching for words, and Regina repeated, “Anything, just tell me”.

The sheriff started fidgeting with the tissue in her hands, and quietly said “Would you mind just sitting here for a while longer?”

Regina smiled. “Not at all. Do you want me to… to hold you again?”

Emma nodded, almost shyly. Regina moved back on the sofa, and opened her arms. Emma instantly sunk into them, and slung herself around the mayor’s waist, her head dropping to Regina’s chest. The brunette put one hand around Emma’s hip, while the other came to rest at the back of her head, and she started to gently thread fingers through her hair. Emma sighed contently. 

“I always fantasized about having a mother doing this when I was a kid.”

“You have me now, whenever you need it.”

Emma chuckled. “You’re not my mother, Regina.”

The mayor placed a kiss on the top of her head. “I can be anything you want.”

Emma said “Anything? And you’re not going to make fun of me?”

“No, never, not in this… situation...”, Regina said. So Emma, after a moment of hesitation, pulled her hand from behind the brunette’s back, and put her thumb in her mouth.

The mayor smiled. “I’ll take care of you, my girl.”

***

Regina woke when Emma stirred in her arms. It was dark in the study, the only source of light coming from the laptop on the coffee table. The sheriff’s head felt hot against her chest, and Regina gently put the back of her hand on the blonde’s forehead. Definitely running a fever. Emma looked up to her with glassy eyes. “My head hurts.” Regina pushed a strand of damp hair out of her face. “Let’s get you to bed, darling.” Emma groaned. “Don’t wanna move… wanna stay with you…” Regina stroked her cheek. “You can stay with me, sweetie. Let’s just go upstairs, you’ll be more comfortable in my bed.”

“Emma gets to sleep in mama’s bed?” Emma’s voice was raspy, and Regina wasn’t sure if it was her fever talking. But it didn’t really matter, because an overwhelming need to care for Emma overcame the mayor. And it confused her, but it also excited her. She didn’t know what exactly it meant, but her heart was beating faster, and a warm feeling coiled low in her belly.

“Yes baby, come, I’ll help you up.”

Regina untangled herself from the sheriff, and got off the couch. She held her hand out to Emma, and helped her up. The blonde was a little unsteady on her feet, so Regina wrapped one arm around her waist, and walked her out of the study, down the hall, and then up the stairs. When they arrived on the landing, Emma was breathing heavily, exhausted from the few steps they had taken. Her head dropped to the mayor’s shoulder, and Regina basically carried her the rest of the way to the bedroom.

Once inside, the brunette guided Emma to the bed. “Sit”, she said, and gently pushed the blonde down. Regina walked over to her closet, and came back with a pair of flannel pyjamas. She asked “Do you need help getting changed?”, and Emma just looked at her, eyes swimming with tears. “It’s okay sweetheart, I’ll help you”, the mayor said. She took both of Emma’s hands, and lifted them up over her head. Then, she took the hem of Emma’s sweatshirt, and pulled it up over her head. She reached around her, and undid the snaps of her bra. She averted her eyes, trying not to look at the exposed chest. She almost managed. The blonde started to shiver, and Regina quickly grabbed the pyjama top. She helped her put it on, then crouched down between the sheriff’s legs, feeling herself blush as she pulled the fabric closed, hiding Emma’s beautiful pale breasts, and started buttoning up the top. Her fingers shook a little.

“Can you stand up for me for a moment?” Emma did, and Regina unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans, and then quickly pulled them down the blonde’s legs. She helped her step out of them, and then into the pj bottoms. She chuckled when she noticed that the sheriff was wearing Friday panties. When she pulled the pants up, her fingertips lingered on the soft skin of Emma’s hips for a moment. She gently stroked over it a couple of times. Emma sighed. Regina got up, and pulled back the warm comforter. “Lie down”, she said, and Emma let herself fall back into the soft pillows. Then, Regina draped the blanket over the blonde’s body. When she turned around, Emma whispered “Don’t leave”. Regina came back, and cupped the sheriff’s cheek. “I’ll just be a second. I promise I won’t leave.”

She walked into her ensuite, and put on her own pjs. She found some aspirin in the bathroom cabinet, and filled a glass with water. Then, she walked back into the bedroom.

Emma was snuggled into the blanket, and Regina got into the bed with her. She gave Emma two pills, and put her hand under her head, lifting her up a little. “Take them, sweetie. You’ll feel better soon.” Emma put them into her mouth, and Regina brought the glass to her lips. Emma swallowed, and the mayor put the glass on her nightstand. Then, she laid down next to the blonde.

It didn’t take five seconds until Emma rolled onto her side, and looked at her longingly. Regina smiled and moved closer. She slid her arm under the blonde’s neck, and Emma melted into her, head coming to rest on her chest, and one arm draped across Regina’s middle. The mayor instinctively wrapped her arms around the sheriff, and kissed the top of her head.

“Are you comfortable, sweetheart?”, Regina asked. Emma hummed “mhm”, and nuzzled her face into the soft satin of Regina’s pjs. The mayor reached out and turned off the light.

“Goodnight, Emma. Get some rest.”

Every nerve-ending in Regina’s body was set alight when Emma whispered “Night mama, love you”.

***

It was the middle of the night when Emma woke up the first time. She was cold, and not sure where she was. Her face was pushed into something soft and warm that smelled nice, and someone was hugging her. It felt really good, but it couldn’t be her foster parents, they never let her sleep with them, and they never hugged her. Emma slid her hand up the warm body, and chuckled to herself, thinking _it’s definitely a woman_. She quickly pulled her hand back, and cuddled closer, trying to get warm. The sleeping woman tightened her arms around her. Who could it be? She didn’t know anyone who liked her enough to hold her. Was she dreaming? Or maybe she was dead, as she so often wished she was.

Suddenly, she had a thought that made her heart beat like crazy. She gasped, and then was immediately shaken by a cough. A hand started stroking her back, and a sleepy voice said “Shh, baby girl, it’s okay, go back to sleep”. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes. Could it be? Had she really come back for her? “Mama?”, she whispered. The woman pressed a kiss to her forehead, and stroked her hair. “Mama is here, Emma, sleep now.”

Quietly crying, Emma fisted her mama’s shirt. She was so overwhelmed by her feelings. Every single night, she had prayed for her mother to come back to her. And now she was here, and Emma hadn’t even known. She knew that she was soaking the other woman’s top, but she just couldn’t stop crying.

Regina slowly woke up, and realized who was crying in her arms, and what was happening. She put her hand on Emma’s forehead, and frowned. The sheriff felt hotter than before. The mayor started stroking her hair, and said “It’s okay, baby, everything will be okay.” Emma just started crying harder, and sobbed “Don’t ever leave me again, mama”.

All of a sudden, a bolt of realization tore through Regina. Then, an overwhelming sadness for the sheriff who thought she was a little girl again. A little girl who never had a mother. She wasn’t sure how to react, but she knew that she couldn’t break the girl’s heart. They could talk about it when she felt better, but for now, she needed to be cared for, and feel safe. And if she needed her mama, Regina could be her mama. She held her close, and said “I will never leave you again, my sweet baby”.

***

When Emma woke up the second time that night, she knew that she was in Regina’s bed. The mayor was spooning her, and her breasts were pressed against Emma’s back. Emma smiled, because she had often fantasized about this happening. But then, she got horribly confused. Snippets of memories flashed through her head, memories of her mother, who wasn’t her mother at all, but had made her feel safer than she ever had. Memories of arms holding her as she was crying. Memories of her mother smelling exactly like Regina. Her head still felt hot, and thinking hurt. She felt Regina’s hand just under the hem of her top, and she placed her own on top of it, softly stroking the mayor’s knuckles. Regina sighed, and muttered “s’okay sweetheart” in her sleep. Then, she trailed her hand up the sheriff’s stomach, under her pjs, and then higher, and suddenly, she was caressing her breast. Emma moaned quietly at the sudden onslaught of sensations, and when a finger grazed her nipple, arousal shot through her body, and straight into her core. “That feels so good, mama”, she whispered, still in a feverish haze.

Regina woke up from Emma’s whispers, and the first thing she felt was a pebbled nub under her fingertips. She was disoriented for a second, and then she heard a low moan from the sick sheriff in front of her. She stilled her fingers, and instantly, Emma started whining. “Mama, no, don’t stop. It feels really good in my belly.” Regina reluctantly started stroking again, not sure if what she was doing wasn’t really wrong. Soon, Emma’s little peak was rock-hard, and she could hear her breath hitch. She took the nipple between her thumb and index finger, and started rolling it. When Emma moaned loudly, Regina snapped out of it. She let go of the breast, and slid her hand back down to the blonde’s stomach.

“Sleep now, baby girl”, she breathed, not ready to deal with what was happening inside of her. 

Barely audible, Emma sighed, and whispered “You made me really tingly in my special place, mama.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after intermezzo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, thank you all SO much for your comments and kudos! I really wasn't anticipating it, and it means so much to me!
> 
> Second, I'm sorry it took me so long to post again. Things have been really busy, and I haven't had much time to write (but, you know, I met Lana again last weekend, so, priorities! ;). Even this chapter isn't really much of anything. I'm trying to figure out how to do this story so that it's not completely cliché, and I want to do these amazing characters justice.
> 
> Thirdly, I've never mentioned this in any of my stories, but English isn't my first language. And for some reason, I'm hesitant to ask for betas. So please don't hesitate to point out mistakes, it would really help me!

When Regina woke up in the morning, Emma’s side of the bed was empty. The mayor sighed, and sat up. She listened for sounds in the bathroom, but all was quiet. 

_I hope she didn’t leave. She’s too sick, she needs to be taken care of. I need to take care of her. I… want to take care of her. She called me mama, several times. She probably won’t remember. I wish she did. Wait, do I? This is confusing._

She grabbed her silky robe, and put on her slippers. She went into the bathroom, but the blonde wasn’t in there. Then, she carefully opened the bedroom door, and listened. Still nothing. The house was silent. She looked into Henry’s room, and then the guest room, just in case. No trace of Emma.

Regina walked down the stairs, and straight ahead to the kitchen. It was empty. Emma wasn’t in the study either. At last, she went into the living room.

Emma was sitting on one of the big couches, wrapped up in the same blanket that the mayor had brought her the night before. The sheriff looked like death. Her lips were chapped, almost bleeding, her hair was hanging limply down her face. Her cheeks were hollow, and her eyes red and swollen. From the cold, probably. Or had she been crying again? She looked at Regina, but her eyes didn’t seem focused.

Regina could see right away that Emma was still feverish. She walked over to where the blonde was sitting, and sat down next to her. 

“Hey”, the brunette said, smiling at Emma. The blonde managed a tiny smile as well. “Hi.”

“You look like crap”, Regina remarked. Emma’s face contorted with pain, and the mayor instantly berated herself for her words. “May I?”, she asked, holding her hand up in front of Emma’s face. The blonde nodded, and Regina felt her forehead. “I should take you to the doctor”, she muttered. Emma’s eyes found hers, and she said “It’s just a cold, I don’t need a doctor”. Regina wasn’t so sure, but she didn’t want to show the sheriff how worried she was. “You never did drink that tea last night. I’ll go make you some more. And you should try to eat something. Would you like some pancakes?”

Emma frowned. “I don’t think I can. And you have done enough for me already. Really, thank you, Regina. I’ll just call my dad and ask him to come pick me up.” Regina didn’t want that. She didn’t want that at all. 

“Emma… you will not get any rest at your parents’ house, especially with the baby being sick, too. You are more than welcome to stay here. Henry won’t be back until tonight. And… and I can give you space if you need it.”

Emma’s face fell just the tiniest bit, and she whispered “I don’t need it…”. Regina gave the sheriff an encouraging smile, and said “Stay?” Emma nodded.

“I will go make tea. And some pancakes, we can share them. Okay? You just stay here and rest. I won’t be long.”

Emma smiled at her gratefully. Regina tucked the blanket in behind Emma, and squeezed her shoulder. Then, she went into the kitchen, and started preparing breakfast for the sheriff and herself.

A few minutes later, she heard feet shuffling behind her. She turned around, and Emma was standing in the doorway, looking like a little girl with her big blanket wrapped around her. She looked at her sheepishly, and said “It smelled so good, I had to come and investigate”. Regina laughed, and pointed to the kitchen table. “You’re just in time, why don’t you sit down?” Emma slowly walked into the room, and sat down in a chair, facing Regina. The mayor got two plates out of the cupboard, and placed a pancake on each of them. She put one of them in front of Emma, and the other one across from her on the table. Then, she poured Emma a cup of tea, while she got herself some coffee. She sat down, and watched as Emma tentatively ate a piece of pancake. “Blueberry”, the blonde sighed, “my favourites”, and quickly put another piece in her mouth. They ate in silence. Every once in a while, Regina looked at Emma, happy that she was eating and drinking her tea. The blonde’s eyelids seemed to get heavier by the minute, and after a while, Regina said “Would you like to rest on the couch or in bed?” Emma’s eyes snapped open again, and she said “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep at your kitchen table. Breakfast was wonderful, Regina. Thank you.” Smiling, Regina said “You’re very welcome. Let’s get you to the couch, you can watch TV if you wish, or nap.”

Emma nodded tiredly. She got up, and put her plate and cup in the sink. Then, she walked back to the living room, and Regina followed her with a bottle of water and a glass. When she caught up, the blonde was standing in the middle of the room, seemingly debating whether she should lie down, or wait for Regina.

“Do you need anything, Emma?” The sheriff turned around, and shrugged.

“Come on, sit down.” The mayor took Emma’s arm, and guided her to the couch. Emma sat down, and groaned. She pulled her blanket around herself tighter, and Regina could see that her jaw was trembling.

“I’ll get you another blanket.” She was almost at the door, when Emma whispered “Regina”. The brunette turned around, and sat down next to her. “Tell me what you need, Emma.”

The blonde looked down at the floor, and said “I can’t”. She looked like she was going to cry again, and Regina placed a hand on her back. “Hey. What is it?”

“Embarrassing, that’s what it is”, Emma sighed. And then, “what you did for me last night, that was… it was so perfect. And I can’t stop thinking about it. Please don’t be disgusted.” She threw her hands in front of her face, and started sobbing. Regina slid off the sofa, and kneeled on the floor before Emma. She put her hands on the blonde’s knees, and drew little circles with her thumbs.

“Emma, can you look at me?”

The sheriff shook her head, and cried harder.

“Hey. I could never be disgusted with you. Why would I be? You didn’t do anything wrong. Please, let me see you.”

Emma just fell apart more. She was shaken by sobs, and Regina had the hardest time understanding what she said next. “You n’t unnrstand. ‘M sick in da head.”

Regina grabbed Emma’s wrists with both hands, and pulled them away from the blonde’s face. She wasn’t one-hundred percent sure if she was right, but she had to risk it.

“Emma. Does my little girl need her mama?”

And Emma surged forward, arms wrapping around Regina’s neck, legs around her waist, clinging to the mayor like a little monkey. The mayor embraced her, and held on tightly. Emma’s head dropped to Regina’s shoulder, and Regina started stroking her back, and her head. “It’s okay, baby girl, let it out. I’m here, you don’t have to be scared. M...mama is here, sweetheart.”

Regina shed a few tears of her own. She was overwhelmed by what was happening, and shocked that it felt so incredibly right. Her stomach was in knots, and in that moment, she only seemed to exist to make sure that Emma was safe, and taken care of.

When Emma’s cries stopped, Regina kissed her forehead, and gently pushed her back. She got up on the sofa too, and pulled Emma down, so her head was resting in her lap. She covered her with her blanket, and started threading her fingers through the sheriff’s hair. Emma sighed with pleasure, and closed her eyes.

“Sleep, my sweet girl.”

And Emma did.

About half an hour later, the blonde started to stir. Regina stroked her cheek, and Emma leaned into the touch. She pulled a hand out from under the blanket, and placed it over Regina’s. She turned her head a little, and kissed the mayor’s palm.

“How are you feeling?”, Regina asked.

“Safe.” She nuzzled into the brunette’s hand.

Regina smiled. “I’m glad. I… I worry about you. I’ve never seen you so sick. And… vulnerable. And I feel safe too. With you. You… I think… I mean, if this is something you would like to… explore? I… oh god, Emma, say something, I don’t want to scare you away.”

Emma looked at her curiously. “Wait, you’re not just doing this because you feel sorry for me? You’d actually consider… really?”

The mayor started tracing Emma’s lips with her finger. “Emma… I feel like last night, and this morning… it woke something in me. And I’m afraid to analyze what it means.”

Emma parted her lips, and bit Regina’s finger. “Tell me.”

“You’re going to laugh at me”, the brunette whispered.

“Regina. I’ve called you mama more times in the last twelve hours than my real mother in the four years I’ve known who she is. I don’t think I’m in any place to be laughing at you.”

Regina chuckled. “Okay. Here it is. The thought of you needing me is consuming me… I mean, I know you don’t need me, you are strong and capable, and you have powerful magic, so that’s not what I’m talking about. But I have an overwhelming need to take care of you. And for you to… let me…”

Emma looked at her with big eyes. She closed them for a moment, a smile appearing on her face. Then she rolled over a little, and slung her arms around Regina’s waist, burying her face in the mayor’s lap.

“I would like that very much, Regina.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some angst, some tears, some cuddles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally have a new chapter! I'm sorry it took so long, life and non-inspiration got in the way.
> 
> I'm also almost done with the next one. Spoiler alert: there shall be smut! So you're warned, in case that's not what you're looking for. ;-)

After just a few minutes, Regina could hear Emma’s regular deep breaths, telling her that the sheriff had fallen asleep. Again. On her. Again. The mayor couldn’t help the smile spreading on her face when Emma nuzzled her face into her belly as she slowly stroked the blonde locks splayed all over her legs, and it turned into a huge grin when the savior moaned contently as she lightly massaged her temple. This was nice. Whatever it was.

Regina couldn’t even think about falling asleep again. Too many thoughts were running through her head. Too many thoughts of Emma. Thoughts of their history together, and what the last hours would mean for their future. _Their future?_ There the blonde was, lying in her lap, and Regina was finding it hard not to bend down and kiss her. How was this even going to work? There wasn’t supposed to be kissing in this, was there? Would Emma even remember this when she was free of her fever? Was it just a moment of weakness? Was this something she had been looking for? No. It couldn’t be. This couldn’t be real. Emma would get better, forget about what had happened, and leave her embarrassed and longing.

Regina groaned in frustration, and dropped her head onto the backrest of the couch. If she kept playing this game with Emma, and Emma didn’t really mean it, it could get horribly awkward between them. Maybe Emma would laugh at her. Maybe Emma wouldn’t want to talk to her anymore. Maybe Emma… When had everything become about Emma?

_Don’t be silly, everything has been about Emma for a long time._

Emma stuck her thumb into her mouth again. _Adorable._

What was this even? Wasn’t she attracted to the Savior in a completely different way? In a normal way? How did this fit into that? Was this sexual? And if it was, was it wrong? If they kept this going, would it hurt Emma, was she trying to get something she never had as a child? Should Emma get therapy instead of this game? Should she herself get therapy? It couldn’t be normal, what she was feeling had to be wrong. It was one thing wanting to care for someone. It was a completely different thing wanting them to completely submit to her care and depend on it.

_Emma is just sick. Don’t get your hopes up. She won’t remember._

Regina looked down at the sleeping blonde. God, she was beautiful. Her eyelashes still sticky from crying, her cheeks flushed from the fever, her cracked lips a perfect pout around her thumb. But Regina knew what the woman behind that angelic face was capable of. And in fact, that knowledge excited her even more. Emma could win every war, beat any demon, paralize every opponent. And yet, she had submitted to her in the most thrilling way. In a way that Regina had never known she needed. In whichever way, she wanted this. She wanted Emma close, she wanted to make her feel safe. She could imagine that the sheriff hadn’t known the feeling of safety for much of her life. Or ever, maybe.

She could suddenly feel her heartbeat in her throat. This right there. This was what it was about. She never wanted Emma to hurt ever again. She didn’t want her to feel unsafe, or unloved. She wanted her to fall asleep in her arms. She wanted her to go to work in the morning with the certainty that when she returned home to her in the evening, she could be whoever she wanted and needed to be. _I want to make breakfast for her every morning. I want to brush her hair. I want to bathe her. I want to make her feel good._

The mayor was pulled out of her thoughts abruptly when the front door was opened, and voice was shouting “Mooom, can you drive me back to Logan’s house, I just came to pick up my Wii controller.” For a moment, Regina considered getting up and out of the predicament of being found with Emma in her lap. But Henry was already in the hallway, and a second later, his head was poking through the open door. Their eyes met, and Henry’s face seemed to change from surprise to something like glee, and then worry.

“Is Ma okay?”

Regina instinctively put her finger to her lips and shushed her son. But Emma had already halfway woken up, and she she was probably a tiny bit disoriented, because she opened one eye and blinked at Regina. “Mama?”

Henry laughed out loud.

Then he came hurrying to the couch. “What’s wrong with her? Is she drunk?”

“Henry Daniel Mills! Your mother isn’t drunk in the middle of the day! She caught Neal’s cold, so she stayed over last night. She has a fever, and she’s a bit out of it. She’ll be fine, sweetie, don’t worry. Just a bad cold.”

Henry looked around the room for signs that his mother was not telling him the truth, and something hinky was going on. But everything seemed to be in order. It was very unlike Emma to be cuddled up with anyone, and his other mother no less, but they had become rather close, so maybe this was something they did now. And he wasn’t stupid, he had picked up on each of their longing looks when the other wasn’t watching.

“Oh, okay. Well, I will get my controller, and I can walk back there.”

Regina looked at Emma. She would probably be okay if she just left quickly to drive Henry to his friend’s house. “Wait”, she said, “I’ll drive you.”

She carefully lifted Emma’s head, and slid out from under her. She grabbed a pillow, and gently laid her back down. Emma opened her eyes, and turned her head. “Hey kid”, she croaked. Henry beamed at her. “Hey Ma! Hope you feel better soon!” Emma’s reply was a coughing fit, and Regina quickly helped her sit up, and gently stroked her back. The blonde smiled thankfully, and then slumped back into the cushions.

“I will be back in a few minutes, I’m just taking Henry to Logan’s quickly. Will you be alright?”

Emma nodded. “Could you pass me the remote?”

Regina handed it to her. “Of course dear.” Emma giggled. “Thanks, mama.” The mayor turned around, and much to her relief, Henry had already left the room. She bent down, and whispered into Emma’s ear “not in front of Henry, darling”, and Emma looked up at her with teary eyes, and Regina just _could not handle it_. She smoothed the sheriff’s hair with one hand, and stroked her hand with the other. “You did nothing wrong baby, don’t be sad. Is there anything you would like to eat? I could pick something up on the way back.” Emma leaned into her, and said “ice cream”.

Regina rolled her eyes. Of course. Like son, like mother. She couldn’t say no to Henry when he was sick, and now she couldn’t say no to his other mother either. They both had her wrapped around their little finger. She tried to hide her grin, and said “I’ll see what I can do. I have my cell phone with me, in case you need anything”. Emma nodded her agreement. As Regina turned and walked away, she heard a whisper. “Mama. Kiss goodbye!” The mayor bit her lip as an inexplicable bolt of need hit her deep in her belly. She listened for Henry’s footsteps in his room upstairs, and then went back to the couch. Emma looked at her longingly. Regina crouched down, and caressed Emma’s face with the knuckles of her right hand. Then she reached up to place the palm of her other hand on her forehead. Emma closed her eyes. Regina hesitated for a moment, and then kissed both of the blonde’s rosy cheeks, softly, but lovingly. Emma tried to turn her head, so their lips would meet, but Regina pulled away. “Not now, sweetheart. When you’re better we’ll talk about it, okay?”

The sheriff sighed, and nodded. Regina heard Henry run down the stairs, and got up, hesitantly removing her hand from Emma’s face.

Before she walked out of the room, she turned and said “what flavor?” Emma gave her a confused look, and Regina clarified “ice cream. What flavor?”

“Chocolate, please.”

_Of course._

 

***

 

When Regina returned half an hour later, with a bag full of ice cream in different flavors - just in case - she found the living room empty. For the second time that day, she looked all around her house for the sick sheriff, but this time, she could not find her. After checking all the bathrooms, she slumped down on her couch and sighed. Great. Emma had left. She was in no condition to leave, but she had left. She considered calling her. But maybe Emma just needed some time. Maybe she had changed her mind. She picked up her phone, and started typing a message.

“Snow, if Emma’s with you, please let me know. She’s sick, and I want her to be safe. If I don’t hear from you in the next ten minutes, I will go look for her.”

She pressed “send”, and threw the phone on the couch beside her.

She got up, and started tidying up. Folded the blanket, and draped it over an armchair. Checked her phone. Put the empty glasses on a tray. Checked her phone. Straightened out the curtains. Checked her phone. Just as she was about to lick her finger to wipe a spot from her window, her phone beeped.

“Emma’s here, looks terrible, don’t send search party. Thanks for your concern, I’ll drown her in camomile tea.”

Regina rolled her eyes. Camomile tea?

There was nothing she could really do right now though. Emma had decided to leave, and she had to respect her decision. She sighed, and typed “Thank you!”

_Might as well keep cleaning. Not like I can concentrate on anything else._

 

* * *

 

Regina had finally been able to fall asleep, when she was rudely janked back to consciousness by the loud ringtone of her phone. She opened one eye, and glanced at the alarm clock. 3:45am. _What in the world?_

She grabbed the phone, and held it up to her ear. Before she could even say anything, the person on the other end started talking.

“Regina? It’s Snow. Emma…”

Regina was wide awake in an instant.

“She’s not well. I think she needs to go to the hospital, but she refuses. She says she… she wants you.”

“I’ll be there in ten minutes. Tell her I’m coming, Snow.”

With that, she ended the call. She quickly put on some yoga pants, and the “Mayor”-shirt Henry and Emma had given her for her birthday. Then, she ran her brush through her hair, and decided against lipstick. She ran down the stairs, put on her coat, and grabbed her car keys.

A few minutes later, she pulled up in front of the Charmings’ apartment. The door was already open, and Charming was waiting for her, a crying baby on his arm. “Bedroom”, he said, and motioned to the stairs.

Regina ran up the stairs, and to Emma’s room. Snow was sitting with Emma, wiping her forehead with a wet cloth.

“I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’m glad you’re here.”

Regina nodded. “What happened?”

“She tried to go down the stairs, and she was so weak, she would have fallen if David hadn’t caught her. Her fever won’t go down, and I think she’s delirious. She screamed at us when we were trying to get her to go to the hospital with us. Then she started crying and she kept saying I need Regina.”

The mayor slipped her coat off, and threw it over a chair. She went to the other side of the bed, and sat down. She put her cool hand on Emma’s forehead, and gave Snow a worried look.

“Emma?”

The blonde opened her eyes, and a pained smile formed on her face. “Hi”, she said, and she grabbed Regina’s hand. “You came.”

“Yes, of course! Emma… please let us take you to the hospital. You will feel much better once they give you some medicine.

Emma shook her head. “No.”

“Snow, could you give us a minute?”

Snow White shrugged, and got up. “Just please get her to agree. If she still refuses, I will call an ambulance.” Regina nodded, and said “close the door”. Snow shook her head, but did as she was told.

Regina turned her attention back to the blonde savior. She stroked her cheek, and kissed her forehead.

“Mama”, Emma sighed.

“I’m here, my sweet girl. Mama will take you to the doctor now. You don’t have to worry, I will go with you. I will not leave you alone sweetheart. And when you feel better, there’s a lot of ice cream waiting for you. Deal?”

Emma exhaled deeply. She rolled on her side, and buried her face in Regina’s shirt.

“Sorry I left… got scared… still scared.”

Regina ran her fingers through the blonde curls. “Sssh baby girl. Don’t be scared. Everything will be alright. I will make sure of it.”

Emma nodded, and looked up at her.

“Just you and me, right? And you’ll stay with Emma?”

Regina smiled. “Yes, just you and me. Your parents need to stay with Neal. And you get to go with mama, okay?”

“Okay.”

Emma was wearing sweat pants and a t-shirt, so Regina grabbed a hoodie from a pile of hopefully clean laundry, and helped the blonde put it on. Emma’s movements were slow, and she leaned her forehead against Regina whenever she could.

“Can you walk, sweetheart?” Emma looked very pale all of a sudden.

“Think so”, she mumbled. Regina helped her up, and put her arm around her hip to steady her. “Ion’t feel sgood”, the blonde said. “Do you need to be sick, baby girl?” Emma nodded. The mayor guided her towards the bathroom, and helped her to her knees just in time before the girl started to heave. Regina gently pulled her hair back, and stroked her shoulder.

When Emma was done, Regina grabbed a washcloth, and cleaned Emma’s face. She poured her a glass of water. “Rinse, sweetheart.” She stroked her hair while the blonde put the glass to her mouth, and then spit out into the toilet. “Bit better now. Thanks mama.” Regina quickly kissed her forehead, and said “I’m glad.”

When she turned around, Charming was standing in the door. Their eyes met for a second, and she wasn’t sure she liked what she saw. “I think she will need help getting down the stairs”, she tried to deflect. Charming seemed to try to understand what he had probably just heard, and then nodded. He came into the room, and helped Emma get on her feet. Then, with Regina on one side and Charming on the other, they slowly walked down the hall, and then down the stairs.

Snow was waiting for them, concerned. “I don’t know what you told her, but I’m glad she listened to you.” Regina quickly glanced at Charming, but he seemed preoccupied with getting Emma into her jacket.

“I will call you from the hospital. She’ll be just fine, these things always hit adults harder than children.” She squeezed Snow’s arm.

“Are you sure you don’t need us to go?”

“Only ‘Gina”, Emma whispered. Regina smiled. “Absolutely. Just help me get her into my car, and then go look after your other sick child. I’ve got this one.”

Together, they brought Emma outside safely, and tucked her into the passenger seat of Regina’s Mercedes. Their drive to the hospital was silent. Regina wasn’t sure if Emma was even awake, but when she pulled into the parking lot and stopped the car, the blonde put her hand on Regina’s arm, and said: “Thank you. I don’t know what this is, but when you left with Henry, I got absolutely terrified that I had screwed up. And I ran. Well. Walked. Slowly.” A tear was rolling down her cheek. Regina bent over, and thumbed the droplet away. Then she put her arm around Emma’s shoulder, and smiled.

“You didn’t screw up, darling. And I know that we have to talk about this some more. But not now. Now you need to see the doctor and feel better. But now or later... whatever you need from me, I… I am pretty sure I want to give it to you.”

Emma leaned in, and rested her head on Regina’s chest.

“I feel so weak. I wish I could sleep forever. I wish I could be in your arms forever. I’m so tired. Of everything.”

The mayor let Emma silently cry into her shirt as she lovingly stroked her back. Maybe the past months, and even years, had been too much for her. Being the savior, and barely finishing one challenge before the next started, surely had taken its toll. If someone had told Regina a few days ago that she would hold the sheriff while she cried, and having her trust in such a profound way, she wouldn’t have believed it. But now it made perfect sense. She knew all too well what it could do to someone, always being expected to be strong, a leader. And now her body was probably telling her to slow down. And Regina wanted to help her in any way she could, and beyond.

She still didn’t really want to think about what all this was saying about herself. It felt right in a way that few things ever had, but she knew that it wasn’t conventional. _You live in a world with fairytale characters. You ARE a fairytale character. Who cares about conventions?_

Emma’s tears had stopped, and she looked at Regina with big bloodshot eyes. Then she sighed, and said: “Okay. Enough crying… unless the doctor uses a needle... then I’ll really need my mama.” She tried to smirk, and failed, but to Regina, it was utterly adorable.

“Emma”, she said. The blonde looked at her almost shyly. “You’re allowed to be weak. Your feelings are valid. But I want you to know that you are the strongest person I know. I respect and admire you so much. And none of this will change that.”

That made Emma cry again, and resulted in another ten minutes of quietly being held in Regina’s arms, in Regina’s car, in the hospital parking lot.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So things are progressing. Please be aware that there is going to be sexual activities between two consenting adults who are in an ageplay relationship in this chapter. Do not read if you are not comfortable with or triggered by that kind of thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You have no idea how much I've gone back and forth between sex or no sex. But smut is what I like to write, and I wrote the sex before anything else in this chapter. I had this idea about how it could happen, and I was into it, and it came really easily, so I'll just throw it out there. I hope someone out there will enjoy it. :-)

When they finally arrived at the urgent care, Emma was doing a little better. She insisted on Regina going into the treatment room with her nonetheless, and Regina wasn’t mad. She held Emma’s hand when Dr Whale came in with a smirk on his face.

“I have been informed that the mayor and the sheriff are here, but this is truly a sight for sore eyes. Regina, I didn’t take you for a nanny for adult strays!”

Regina wasn’t about to let the little vulture hurt her Emma. She squeezed the blonde’s hand for reassurement, and then stood up, planting herself dangerously close to the man in white.

“If you can’t do your job here, please leave and get us a real doctor. This is not the time for your games.”

Dr Whale put his hands up in defense.

“Okay okay, I forgot that you have lost your mojo. What’s wrong with Orphan Annie then?”

Regina really didn’t want to fight. She swallowed her budding anger, and took a deep breath. She then sat down next to Emma again.

“Do you want to tell him?”

Emma shook her head and averted her eyes, and the mayor put a hand on her forearm.

“That’s okay, Emma.” And to Whale: “She’s had a bad cold for a few days, with high fevers, delirious dreams, and tonight, she was so weak she almost fell down the stairs.”

“Well then. The common cold has been going around, with a few pills and some good old lovin’, you should be okay, Savior. The nurse will come see you, take some blood, do some tests, take your temperature, prod about a bit. I’ll see you later.”

Regina could feel Emma tense up.

“No.”

Both the mayor and the doctor turned their heads.

“Emma”, they said in unison. The sheriff just shook her head.

“Give us a minute please”, Regina finally said.

Dr Whale shrugged, and left the room.

Regina took Emma’s hand and looked at her with concern.

“Emma. Sweetie… you have to let them help you.”

“No needles”, the blonde whispered.

“Emma, listen to me. I know needles suck, and it’s okay to be scared. But my baby needs to get well soon! I will stay with you, I promise. But let them make you better, okay?”

Emma was visibly scared. She looked down at her hands, and she sounded like she was going to start hyperventilating any moment. Regina stroked her back up and down, and started repeating silly words that nonetheless seemed to calm Emma a bit. “It’s okay sweetheart, you’re doing really well. Everything will be okay. I will make sure they don’t do anything bad to you. I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere. You can do this, my sweet girl. You will be just fine.”

Barely audible, Emma whispered “Can Emma sit in mama’s lap?”

Both of their heads snapped up at the same time, both of them realizing that they were not in the safety of Regina’s house anymore. Emma looked terrified, Regina was strangely excited.

“Sorry Regina, bad idea. I got lost in the moment. I know we can’t do that. But I would love if you stayed with me.”

_Regina…_

“Of course I will stay with you. Nothing could make me leave!” She winked, and it was the funniest thing to Emma, because the mayor couldn’t wink with one eye to save her life. So Emma giggled. Regina got up and opened the door, and called the nurse in.

The temperature and blood pressure tests went well. Emma seemed calmer, and she even flirted a bit with the nurse. But when the tray with the blood taking equipment was brought out, she shot Regina a panicked look. The mayor tried to calm her down with a smile, but it was no use. The blonde started to tremble violently, and the nurse looked at Regina with a helpless sigh.

Regina knew she had to act quickly, before Emma shut down completely. She got up, and closed the door. Then, she pulled her chair next to the examination table Emma was sitting on. Turning to the nurse, she said “I hope I don’t have to remind you that nothing leaves this room.” The nurse seemed confused, but she nodded her head.

Regina wrapped her arms around Emma’s waist, and pulled her into her lap. Emma gasped, but adjusted quickly. The nurse’s jaw dropped, but she caught herself, and started putting the tourniquet around Emma’s upper arm. When she pulled it tight, the blonde whimpered, and Regina gently pulled her head down to her shoulder. The nurse shyly asked “is she okay?”, and Regina replied “she will be”.

The actual act of drawing Emma’s blood wasn’t as bad as they had anticipated. Emma felt safe with Regina, and although she winced at the pain the needle caused, she pulled through. Regina was very proud of her little girl.

After the nurse had left, Emma cried a little from relief, and Regina still held her in her lap, reassuring her, caressing her face, arms, thighs. The blonde clearly enjoyed it. She grunted adorably, and slung her arms around Regina’s neck. Regina quickly kissed the spot with the band-aid, and let her forehead fall onto a strong upper arm.

They sat there for what felt like an eternity, yet not long enough.

When there was a knock on the door, they hesitantly let go of eachother, and Regina thanked the lord that whoever it was had the decency to wait for their response.

It was Whale, of course.

“Well, Emma, looks like you caught yourself a really nasty cold. But you’ll be fine. Just make sure you get enough fluids, stay in bed, and you should be as good as new in a few days.” And because he was an ass, he added “I’m sure your personal nurse will take good care of you”.

Regina started to charge at him, but Emma weakly held her back. “Don’t, he’s not worth it.”

The mayor shot one last glare at the doctor, and sat back down.

Whale smirked, and said “Here’s a prescription. Start taking it right away, twice a day.”

***

When Emma and Regina left the hospital after picking up Emma’s medicine, it was already dawning. They were both really tired, and they walked to Regina’s car in silence. Regina went around to the passenger door, and opened it for Emma. The sheriff was about to get in, when she grabbed Regina’s hand, bent forward, and softly kissed the brunette’s cheek. Regina was taken by surprise, and stood there stunned for a moment. Then she closed the door, and slowly went to the other side of the car, and got into the driver’s seat. Emma was looking out of the window, her head pressed against the cold glass. Regina put on her seatbelt, and started the engine.

“Where…?”

Emma turned her head. She looked lost, but there was also a new sparkle in her eyes.

“I wouldn’t want to cause you anymore trouble…”

The mayor smiled. “I’m taking you to my place. You’ll be more comfortable there.”

The light in Emma’s eyes grew ten times brighter, but she didn’t say anything.

Together, they drove through the still lit streets of Storybrooke, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Regina only looked at Emma once, and her heart immediately started beating faster, and she almost didn’t see a drunken dwarf crossing the street in the twilight, because the blonde sheriff kind of took her breath away.

When they arrived at the mansion, the sun was starting to rise. Regina took Emma to her bedroom, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. She helped her into her bed, and made her take her medicine. She tucked the blonde in, and smiled when after just a few moments, she saw Emma’s chest rise and fall with regular breaths. She quickly sent Snow White a message, telling her that her daughter was with her, and that she would be just fine. Then, she laid down on top of her blankets, and just watched Emma sleep, the light of the rising sun illuminating her features beautifully. A peace she had only known once before in her life came over her. She felt complete.

***

Emma stayed in Regina’s house and in her bed for four days. She could have probably gone home on the second day, but neither of them wanted that. She slept a lot, she ate Regina’s good food, and she followed her orders to drink tea and take her medicine like a very good girl. Henry had come home, but he didn’t question anything. To him, they were just his mothers, one taking care of the other. Regina stayed home from work, and at night, she held the Savior in her arms, and she slept like she’d never slept before.

On the third day, Emma started to complain about her body being sore from all the lying around. It was a sure sign of her feeling better, and while Regina was happy about that, she was also worried, because she didn’t know what would happen when Emma was well again. Would she want to be with her?

She was sitting on the edge of her bathtub, her thoughts dancing around her fear that Emma would not want all this anymore once she was in good health. She didn’t even notice that the blonde had come in.

“What’s wrong?”

Regina snapped out of her thoughts. “Nothing, dear. Do you need the bathroom?”

Emma frowned, and sat down next to her.

“Hey. You look sad.”

Regina sighed. She ran her fingers through her hair, and sat up straight.

“I’m fine, Emma. I’m just… scared I guess. Because this has been nice. And…”

She could feel tears rising to her eyes, but she wasn’t going to cry in front of the sheriff. She took a deep breath, and said “I’m just being sentimental.”

Emma watched her closely, then she whispered, sounding very much like a grown-up Emma, “I still need you… mama”.

Regina quickly wiped away the single tear that had escaped at Emma’s confession, and took the blonde’s hand. “Then I will be there for you.”

She shook off her anxiety, stood up, and pulled the sheriff with her. Emma looked at her questioningly, and Regina said “Come on, I think you need a massage before bedtime. Those muscles of yours must be very stiff.”

Emma snickered, and all but ran into the bedroom, where she threw herself on the bed, and excitedly waited for what was going to happen.

Regina slowly followed. She took in the sight of the blonde sprawled across her blankets, and her heart lept out of her chest. She took off her cardigan, and in her skirt and silky top, she approached the bed. Emma was shivering in anticipation now. The mayor sat down, hitched up her skirt a little, and pulled up her legs.

“Where does it hurt, babygirl?”

“It hurts everywhere, mama”, Emma said, her voice trembling.

“Okay, mama will start with your shoulders, alright?”

So she started massaging Emma’s neck, shoulders, and upper arms, which admittedly were incredibly tense. She then moved down to her back and her sides, always making sure she stopped right before her hands touched the side of a breast. When she got to Emma’s lower back, the Savior made little sounds of pleasure. Regina beamed. Making Emma feel good had become a priority, somehow, sneakily. 

She decided to be a little bolder, and lightly trailed her fingers across Emma’s butt on her way down to her legs. The blonde was wearing sweatpants, and boxer briefs underneath, she could tell. Emma shuddered, and lifted her butt up a tiny bit. But Regina didn’t linger, she went straight down to Emma’s feet, which were cold, and started to rub them. The sheriff giggled a little when she tickled her. When Emma’s feet seemed adequately warm to Regina, she moved on to her ankles, then her calves. When Regina lightly brushed the back of her knees, Emma laughed again, but that quickly turned into a quiet moan when the mayor slid up her thighs, her thumbs brushing the insides.

Regina decided that that was quite enough, since they hadn’t talked about the details of their relationship yet. But, she had to admit to herself that she would be lying if she claimed that she wasn’t affected. In fact, quite the opposite was the case.

She hesitantly gave Emma’s legs one last squeeze, and said “Did that help?”

Emma dreamily nodded her head, and said “Thank you mama, that felt really good”.

Regina smiled, and threaded her fingers through the blonde locks. “You are a really good girl, Emma.”

The smile that spread on the sheriff’s rosy cheeks couldn’t have been any bigger. She blushed a little, and buried her face in her arms. “Thanks mommy”, Regina heard her mumbling.

_Mommy._

“You’re welcome, sweetheart. Let’s get ready for bed, okay?”

***

Regina didn’t notice what all this had done to Emma until she helped her change into her pyjamas, and saw that her panties had a big wet spot. The scent that invaded her nose was gorgeous. When she looked up, the blonde’s eyes were hooded, and her breathing seemed to hitch. “I didn’t pee myself”, she whispered. Regina bit her lip to keep herself from laughing. “I know sweetheart.”

“I… I’m sorry mama. Was I bad?”

“Not at all baby. What you feel is never wrong. Do you know why this has happened?” Emma clamped her legs together. “Because Emma really liked it when mama touched her…”

“Right. And that’s perfectly normal sweetie. Did it feel good?”

_What are you doing, Regina..._

Emma enthusiastically nodded her head. Then she lowered it, and said, almost embarrassed: “It hasn’t stopped”.

“Do you… do you know what to do to make it stop?”

Emma nodded again.

“Why… why doesn’t mama give you some space, so you can make yourself feel good.”

“O… kay…”

Regina got up, and walked to the door. “Just call me when you’ve… when you are ready, and I will help you get settled for bed, okay sweetheart?”

Emma nodded again, and Regina went into the hallway. Her heart was pounding as she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. After a few seconds, she heard rustling, and then a low moan. _Oh my god. She’s really doing it. Emma is in there pleasuring herself._ The mayor could feel herself reacting. Warmth spread through her lower body.

She nearly gasped, and put her hand over her mouth.

The blonde obviously wasn’t too concerned with being quiet. Regina heard heavy breathing, and… wet sounds. She tried to will her heartbeat to slow down and quieten, so she could hear every last little noise from inside the bedroom. A high-pitched sigh. A sharp inhale. An overwhelmed moan. It was absolutely delicious. And it drove her completely crazy, she suddenly realized. She felt herself getting wet, and her own breath became a little faster. She wanted to see Emma, but even though the Savior was very aware that she was standing there, she couldn’t just go back in. That would change the game. 

Emma was whispering now. “Yes… that feels so good… don’t stop, Reg… mama… please don’t stop… you made me so wet mama…”

Regina slowly slid a hand inside her skirt. She couldn’t handle it anymore, it was too much. She had never felt so desperately aroused in her whole life. She ran a finger over her labia, which were swollen with need. Through the fabric of her panties, she could feel her erect clitoris, and one single light touch almost sent her over the edge. _Holy shit._ Leaning against the wall, she started to stroke herself, slowly, with one finger. In the bedroom, Emma was still moaning, panting. Sounds that almost made Regina wail.

“I… mama, oh yes, oh… yes… please… Emma needs her mama… please come back… please come help Emma… mama… please…”

_Is she calling me?_

Then, again. “Please mama, please come here. I need you… Emma needs you… oh shiiit… I’m so… sorry, oh my god…”

Regina managed to throatily breathe “just a second, sweetheart”, before she shattered with a scream she tried to muffle, but couldn’t quite manage. She gasped, continuing to stroke herself through the aftershocks. Her legs felt like jelly, her vision was blurry.

_Dear gods. What was that? That was… insane. I just came spectacularly from listening to Emma, who is pretending to be my little girl, masturbate. I’m going to hell for this, and I was the Evil Queen!_

“Mommy…”

She carefully pushed herself away from the wall, and took a small step forward, to test her legs. Then, she slowly made her way back into her bedroom, not exactly sure what she would find.

What she did find took her breath away.

Emma Swan was lying on her back, naked, her legs spread wide open, her dripping red sex on full display for Regina. One hand furiously rubbing her clit, the other in her mouth thumb-first. Her eyes were closed, her chest was heaving. Her nipples were hard, and her breaths came in desperate gasps.

_Oh Emma._

“Darling?”, she whispered. Emma opened her eyes, but didn’t stop stroking herself. She looked so innocent. So full of need. And it was such a sweet contradiction to her body, which just needed to be fucked.

“Mama. I… can’t stop… what will happen if… ohmygod… if I can’t… oooh yes… stop…”

Regina smiled. So they were still playing. She walked around the bed, and sat down next to Emma’s head. She gently started stroking her sweaty hair.

“Well, my angel… the feeling might grow so big, you may think that you can’t take it anymore. And then, it will explode, like a volcano. A good volcano. It’s a really good feeling, Emma. Can you feel it growing?”

Emma moaned loudly, and nodded her head. “It’s growing… so… ahhh… much. It feels sooo good mama. So good… when will it… ohshit… explode…”

“Just keep going baby. Just let yourself go. It will happen soon.”

“Hold me pl… please…”

Regina nodded, and gently lifted Emma’s upper body up. She slid in behind her, so the blonde was between her legs. Then, she pulled her back against her chest.

Emma’s breathing became faster, and she leaned into the mayor. Her breasts were pushed up, and her nipples looked deliciously inviting.

“May I touch your breasts, my sweet girl?”, she breathed into Emma’s ear.

Emma moaned a “yes!”, and Regina reached out, and very softly brought both her index fingers to the blonde’s tips. She felt them stiffen more under her touch, and circled them. Then, she brought her palms down, and covered Emma’s breasts with her hands. She gently started to massage them, making sure to graze the nipples with every move. Emma turned her head, and buried her face in Regina’s chest as she started to pant wildly.

“Make Emma explode mama. Please… I can’t… take it anymore… please mama… please help me…”

Regina felt a new gush of arousal flowing from her own core.

She put a hand on Emma’s forehead, and kissed her hair. “Does my sweet baby want mama to stroke her nub? Do you want to feel the volcano, my love?”

Emma was so far gone, she just grabbed Regina’s hand, and pushed it between her legs. The mayor found her engorged clit, and instantly started to pick up on the speed that Emma had used before. The blonde’s hips bucked, and she couldn’t hold back her cries.

Regina’s other hand was still caressing Emma’s forehead. She lowered her head to the blonde’s ear, and whispered: “Shhh baby, it’s okay. Mama is with you, my sweet girl. Let yourself go, it will feel wonderful. Shhh sweetheart. You are so amazing my love. Come for me, Emma.”

With that, Emma’s whole body bucked one last time as her hips rose and she pressed herself into Regina’s hand, and then she went still. For a second or two, it was quiet, and then the cries came. Babygirl Emma was having her first orgasm, and it seemed to be an overwhelming one. Regina did her best to help her through it, but all she could do was hold her close, and softly stroke her clit as she convulsed. Regina was sure that she herself had never had an orgasm this intense, and this long. She kissed Emma’s head as the blonde’s cries turned into sobs, and then quiet whimpers. The brunette couldn’t stop stroking her, taking care of her. She grabbed the blanket from the side of the bed, and gently pulled it over the now shivering savior. Then, she wrapped her arms around the girl, and rested her cheek on Emma’s sweaty blonde hair.

“You did so well, my sweet baby. So well! I’m so proud of you. Thank you for trusting me, sweetheart. Thank you for opening yourself up like that. You are so lovely, Emma. I couldn’t wish for a more amazing sweet girl.”

Emma’s whimpers died down, and she fisted Regina’s blouse, and kissed the exposed skin on the top of her breast.

After a few minutes, her breaths came regularly, and she sighed contently.

Regina thought she had fallen asleep, when she suddenly whispered: “Did mama make a volcano too in the hall?”

The mayor cleared her throat.

“I… I did, my lovely girl. A volcano for my sweet Emma.”

“Next time, Emma wants to make mommy explode.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morning-after domestic bliss. Or maybe not so much. ;-)

Emma was ready to go back to work. Regina didn’t like it, nor did she like the idea of going back to her own office. But they were adults, they couldn’t just take off infinite amounts of time to play house. 

So the next morning, Regina woke both Henry and Emma with a kiss on the forehead, and a stern order to get up, then went downstairs to start breakfast. After ten minutes, everything was still quiet. She sighed in fake annoyance. _Great, now I have two children who can’t get up in the morning._

Two minutes later, her sleepy looking son appeared in the door frame, blinking away the morning sun.

“Oh, look who has the decency to show up for breakfast”, she said, smirking at him.

Henry rolled his eyes. “I’m not the last one, now am I”, he challenged her.

“No, and now we know who you got it from.”

Henry laughed, and sat down at the kitchen table. Regina brought him some pancakes and bacon, and poured him a glass of milk.

“So mom…”, he started. Regina sat down with her breakfast. “What is it?”

“Are you guys like doing it now?” The mayor nearly spit out her coffee.

“HENRY! That is completely unacceptable! You can rephrase that, and I will let it go this one time, but you cannot ask your mother if she’s doing it with your… other mother.”

Henry smirked. “How did you even know I was talking about you and her?” Regina was blushing, and tried to hide behind her hair.

“Mom, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be crude. I was just wondering…”

Regina sighed, and looked at Henry.

“Emma and I haven’t really told you about what’s going on. I’m sorry about that. She was just so sick, and the most important thing was for her to get well again, and…”

Henry interrupted her. “Mom! It’s okay! I’m just glad you two finally stopped being stupid.”

“Excuse me?”

“Sorry, I meant… mom, everyone knows you’re meant to be together. I’m happy for you!”

“Everyone… knows?”

Again, her teenage son rolled his eyes.

“Grandma knows, grandpa Gold knows, Ruby knows, Granny knows, Archie knows, Leroy knows, Pongo…”

“Okay, Henry, I get it. But we’re not… I mean, we’re just…”

“In love…”

Regina looked at her son helplessly.

“Who is in love?” Both of their heads turned to the open backdoor. David was standing there, smirking. “Didn’t mean to startle you. I just came to pick up Emma for her first day back at work.” He looked around the kitchen. “Where is she?”

Regina sighed. “Well, apparently waking her up once isn’t enough. I’ll go get her. Help yourself to some breakfast while you wait.”

David didn’t need to be asked twice, and he sat down across from Henry. 

The mayor made her way back upstairs to the bedroom. Emma was still lying under the blankets. Regina went to the big balcony doors, and abruptly opened the curtains, flooding the room with light. Then she went to the bed, and gently put her hand on the pile of blankets and the figure underneath. “Emma!” Nothing. “Emma, wake up, your father is waiting downstairs.” From the way Emma’s body was moving, she could tell that she wasn’t sleeping. Her breathing was too irregular for that.

“Sweetie, are you okay?”

“Mommy”, a small voice said under the covers.

Regina carefully lifted up one side of the blanket, and slipped into bed with the blonde. She pulled the fabric over her own head, and reached for Emma’s face in the semi-darkness. Her cheek was wet.

“Oh sweetheart. Why are you crying?”

Emma sniffled. “I’m not.”

“But you were.”

“It’s… it’s stupid.”

Regina traced her eyebrow with one finger. “I’m sure it isn’t. You can tell mama anything, my beautiful girl.”

The sheriff sighed. “What… how do I let you know that I want to talk to you as big Emma? You know… how do I get myself to that level if I have to? And vice-versa. How do you know who I am? How do I know if you’re playing or not? How will you let me know when you need grownup Emma? You know, without risking a tantrum from little me?”

The mayor exhaled, and laughed. “A tantrum? I thought this child only came with perfect manners and obedience. Although you’ve already disproved that this morning, I guess.” Emma chuckled. “But you are right. There are so many things we haven’t talked about yet. Maybe first of all, we need a safe word?”

“Oh, is mama gonna spank Emma?” The blonde bit her lip to keep herself from laughing.

Regina rolled her eyes. “Only if that’s something you want for little Emma. But seriously. Just a word that means that all bets are off. That you are not little, that I am not mama. You know what I mean?”

Emma nodded. “Yes, I understand. How about… operation duckling?” The mayor burst out laughing. “Sure, why not. Operation duckling.” Emma put her arms around her, and hugged her tightly.

“Was that why you were crying? Because you didn’t know how to switch?”

Emma buried her nose in Regina’s shoulder. “No. I was scared of going to work. Not because of work, but because I didn’t want this to end. Being little Emma is safe. Being big Emma, not so much.”

“You haven’t felt safe in your life very often, have you, sweetheart?”

Emma tightened her embrace. “No”, she whispered.

The brunette stroked the blonde locks that seemed to be everywhere. “It doesn’t have to end until one of us wants it to.” Emma lifted the blanket from over their heads, and looked Regina in the eyes. “And you don’t want it to end?”

“Absolutely not.” She pushed herself up to a sitting position, and leaned against the headboard. “Come here”, she said, guiding Emma into her lap. The blonde happily complied, and Regina began to draw lazy circles on her belly.

“Should we talk about last night?”

Emma shrugged. “I wouldn’t know what to say. It was beyond anything I’ve ever experienced. It was like a dozen first times, all at the same time. I have never felt that much… just… so much… I don’t know…”

Regina smiled. “It’s okay baby. You were absolutely breathtaking.”

“I… I’ve never trusted anyone I did anything… you know… sexual with. Because some people didn’t leave me a choice but to be untrusting. So I was never able to really find… pleasure in those things. But with you… I wasn’t… I wasn’t afraid, Regina. Not even a tiny bit.”

Regina could feel tears in her eyes, so she quickly bent down, and kissed Emma’s forehead. “That means so much to me, sweet girl. It makes me happy because that’s what I want for you. To feel safe, and cared for, and loved.”

The last part had just slipped out. Her eyes widened in shock, and her heart almost burst with realization. Loved. Emma had realized it, too. She beamed at her, and _her smile could light up a thousand realms._

Emma whispered “mommy?” Regina nodded. “You have pretty lips, mommy.” There was a mischievous grin on her face now. Regina laughed.

“Mama?” The mayor decided to play along. “Yes, darling?”

Emma blushed a little, then said “what’s it like to kiss a girl on the lips?”

Regina thought about it for a while, stroking Emma’s tummy. “It’s very soft, and it makes your belly tingle.”

The blonde smiled. “Will you… show me?”

“Is that something little Emma wants, or big Emma?”

Emma lifted her hand and touched Regina’s cheek. “I don’t care, as long as I finally get to kiss you.”

Regina put her hand over Emma’s, and kissed her palm. “I wouldn’t kiss little Emma the same way I would kiss big Emma…”

Emma slowly sat up, swung one leg over Regina’s, and straddled the brunette. She put her hands on Regina’s shoulders, and leaned in so her mouth was hovering next to the mayor’s ear.

“Operation duckling”, she whispered. Regina nodded.

When their lips met, softly at first, and then passionately, Regina wanted to cry. She put her arms around Emma’s neck, trying to get impossibly closer to her. Emma slid forward, pressing her body into Regina’s, hands buried in her soft hair. When they separated, Emma was just sitting there with her eyes closed, and a huge grin on her face. Regina quickly kissed her again, and said “you are adorable, big Emma”.

“Ew, mom!” Henry was standing in the doorframe, covering his eyes. Emma jumped, and pulled away from Regina. The mayor glared at her son.

“Henry! What is it with you Charming men sneaking up on me this morning? Can’t you knock like normal people?”

“How am I supposed to knock on an open door? Not my fault you didn’t close it before you started making out with her and calling her gross sex names!"

Regina could feel anger rising.

“Henry, what’s gotten into you today? That’s quite enough from you now. I don’t want to hear anything like that again, do you understand?”

Her son stared at her stubbornly, then sighed.

“Yes, mom. I’m sorry. Sorry, ma. I’ve just never seen you guys kiss before. Grandad is waiting for you, ma.”

Emma looked like a deer in the headlights. 

“Emma, it’s okay, our son knows.” Regina calmingly put her hand on the blonde’s arm. She was afraid the blonde was going to hyperventilate.

“Darling”, she said, giving Henry a warning look, “Henry has informed me that the whole town thinks that we are meant to be together. And that he’s glad that we stopped being stupid. He’s on our side, Emma.”

For some reason unclear to Regina, Emma turned pale, and her fingers threaded through her hair, pulling on it. She crawled back, away from the woman she had just kissed. She looked a lot like a scared little girl.

“Emma?”, Regina asked, worry starting to rise inside of her. Henry shrugged, and said “you okay, ma?”

The sheriff scurried off the bed, and grabbed the bag with her clothes from a chair. “Shower… late… tell dad not to wait, I’ll be quick”, she muttered.

With that, she went into the bathroom and locked the door behind her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma has locked herself in the bathroom, Henry is confused, and Regina is somewhere between flying and worrying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will never do a cliffhanger again, now you're expecting too much. ;-)
> 
> But I do have to put down a TRIGGER WARNING here: this chapter contains references to past (sexual) abuse, and I'm asking you to take good care of yourself if that might potentially upset or trigger you.
> 
> Also, please read the note at the end, I'm explaining something there.
> 
> Thank you all so much for your support on this story! It really means so much to me!!!

Her son looked upset, her Emma had locked herself in the bathroom, and Regina was still a little bit in heaven from her and Emma’s kiss. Not that it mattered now, something had happened, and she couldn’t seem to figure out what. But she was their mother, well more or less, and she needed to be there for both of them. She slipped off her bed, and smoothed down her clothes.

“Henry”, she said, “don’t worry about your mother, everything that’s happened has probably been a little too much for her. And you know how private she is, maybe the thought of everybody knowing her business and all the speculation scares her.”

“I’m sorry, mom, I shouldn’t have said all those things.”

Regina quickly crossed the room, and put a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s not your fault. I will try to talk to her, but please don’t think you did anything wrong. Well, except for the crude things you said, but your mother can handle those, as we all know. Okay?”

Henry gave her a quick hug. “Okay. Let me know if I can help. I guess I will tell granddad that ma overslept?”

“Yes, that’s probably for the best. Tell him she will be at the station soon.”

Her son glanced at the bathroom door. “She’ll be okay, Henry. I will make sure of it.”

Henry nodded, then shrugged, and walked out. Regina closed the door behind him, and leaned against it. Inexplicably, she suddenly felt fear, and it made her stomach hurt, and the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. 

She looked around her bedroom, anxious, and then pushed herself off the door. “Emma?” No answer. “Emma, open the door, please.” Inside the bathroom, Regina could hear the water starting to run. She rolled her eyes. _Such a child._ She walked over to her vanity, and opened a drawer. She took out a hair pin from a little box, and sighed. She hadn’t thought she’d ever have to do this again. Henry had liked to lock himself in her bathroom when he was mad at her. When he was five years old. And she had learned how to open the door without a key.

Then, she hesitated. Had Emma used the safe word? Was she in there as Little Emma or Big Emma? Because if Emma wasn’t little, she had no right to just barge in there. “Emma”, she tried again. But maybe the blonde was already in the shower and couldn’t hear her. She reluctantly put the hair pin into the keyhole, and unlocked the door. Then, she opened it just the tiniest bit.

“Emma?”

She looked around. No Emma. The water was running, but the blonde was not in the shower. She closed the door to check behind it. Nothing. Then she realized that the window was open. She ran to it, and looked outside, but she couldn’t see the blonde anywhere.

In that moment, her phone rang. She hurried back into her bedroom, and grabbed it from her nightstand. _Emma._

“Emma? Are you okay?”

Chuckling.

“Where are you?”

“Behind your bushes.”

Regina went back to the open bathroom window, and low and behold, a blonde head of hair popped out between her beautiful arrowwood brushes.

“What are you doing out there? Did you jump out the window?” _You know she did._

She could see Emma duck behind the greenery again.

“Henry and dad are coming out, hang on a second”, the sheriff whispered.

Regina sighed. She finally turned off the water in the shower. She started rearranging the cosmetics on her bathroom counter. Then, after a couple of minutes: “I got really freaked out about the situation.”

“Emma Swan. You will come back in here and talk to me like a normal person, not like a pervert in the bushes. Say hi to Leroy if he’s there, by the way.”

Emma laughed out loud. “Look at you being all sassy! I like it! But I really have to go to the station, as much as I would rather come back inside and maybe pick up where we left off before Henry made his presence known. But the mayor will have my ass if I don’t show up to work.”

The brunette smirked. It warmed her heart that some things never changed, no matter how much others definitely, and luckily, did.

“Tell me why you were freaked out first.”

Emma was walking towards the house now, phone to her ear, looking up to where Regina was standing in the window. She ignored the mayor’s question, and instead said: “I’m babysitting Neal tonight. I can’t remember what sleeping in my own bed feels like. And I don’t particularly want to find out. But they deserve a night off. And so do you.”

“You are wrong about me. Come over for dinner and maybe a sleepover tomorrow? It’s Henry’s night with his grandparents.”

Emma beamed, and touched the red button on her phone. “Would love to!”, she smiled at the brunette.

Then, she waved, turned around, and walked down the driveway.

“Emma”, Regina called out. “What happened earlier?”

The blonde pretended not to hear her.

A few minutes later, Regina received a text message.

“He called you mom, and I was jealous. There’s no coming back from that. I’m a horrible mother.”

Regina thought about it for a while. Then, she replied.

“You are _his_ mother. And a very good one at that. But you are _my_ little girl. Are you mine, Emma?”

Somewhere in front of a police station, a young blonde tried in vain to stop herself from grinning like Christmas had come early.

“Yours.”

* * *

“Mommy?”

It was the middle of the night, and Regina was fast asleep. A soft little hand touched her shoulder.

“Mommy!”

Regina stirred. What was going on?

Heavy breathing.

“Mommy, I’m scared.”

She opened her eyes, or tried to, at least.

“Hen… Emma? What…”

Trying to get her eyes to adjust to the darkened room, she blinked, then squinted. Emma was standing by her bedside, her hair in two messy pigtails sticking out of a beanie, wearing pyjamas and her leather jacket. In her right hand, she was carrying her teddy bear. Regina smiled. A little tag around its neck said _Queenie_. Emma looked adorable.

She held out her hand, and took Emma’s into hers. 

“Are you okay, sweetie?”

Emma sighed. She held her teddy close to her chest.

“I… had a bad dream. Can Emma sleep with mama?”

The brunette tried not to let on how incredibly fast her heart was beating all of a sudden.

“You had a bad dream? At your… at the apartment?”

Emma nodded vigorously. Regina furrowed her brow.

“Sweetie, how did you get here?”

Her little girl looked down, like she had been caught being bad.

“Queenie and me, we walked to see mommy.”

Regina damn near laughed out loud. She bit her lip, then she said “Emma! You walked here in the middle of the night? In your pyjamas?”

“Yes”, Emma whispered.

“Baby, you could have called me!”

A mischievous grin spread on the blonde’s face. “Mommy, Emma is too little to have a phone.”

The mayor raised an eyebrow. “Oh, is she now? How old is Emma then?”

Emma seemed to be thinking about it. She looked at Regina shyly, then, reluctantly, she held up her left hand, all fingers up.

For some reason, Regina could feel herself tear up. She suddenly realized how important this moment was. How heavy with meaning. Her little girl was showing her how old she wanted to be.

She inhaled sharply. “You’re five?”

The girl stuck her teddy bear’s paw into her mouth and started to suck on it, while she nodded yes. Almost inaudibly, she said “is that okay?”

She looked so soft in the moonlight. So vulnerable. So beautiful.

“It is very, very okay, Emma. And yes, you can sleep with mama tonight.”

Emma beamed, the stuffed animal in her mouth bouncing up and down.

“You’ll have to stop chewing on Queenie though. She probably doesn’t like that very much.”

The blonde grinned, and removed the bear from her mouth. She wiped its paw with her palm, and carefully sat it down on Regina’s nightstand. She took off her beanie and her jacket, and put them both neatly on a chair. Then she looked at her mommy expectantly.

The mayor lifted the blanket, and said “jump in, sweetie”. And Emma did, and after she had come to a halt right next to Regina, she covered herself up, and cuddled up closely. The brunette wrapped her arms around the sheriff, and tickled the back of her neck.

“Do you want to tell mama what your dream was about?”

The girl buried her face in Regina’s chest.

“The bad guys came back…”

“What bad guys, my love?”

Suddenly, she could feel Emma trembling in her arms.

“Hey.” She lifted her hand to stroke the girl’s hair. “Were they the monsters here in Storybrooke?”

Emma shook her head.

“Were they the bad guys you chased in New York?”

Again, the blonde shook her head no.

“Who are they, sweetheart?”

Emma was silent. Rigid, but still shaking.

Regina could feel that this was real. It’s wasn’t something that little Emma had made up. She wasn’t playing a role. She was a little girl at the moment, and she was scared.

“Baby girl. Did they hurt you? When you were small?” She kissed the top of the girl’s head.

That’s when Emma finally broke, and so did Regina’s heart. She started to cry, and she sobbed so hard, she started hiccuping. She curled herself into a ball, pulling her knees up to her chest, and covered her eyes with her hands. Then, she made them into fists, and the mayor was horrified when she began to punch herself. As gently as she could, she grabbed both of Emma’s wrists, so she couldn’t hurt herself even more. 

_“Bad Emma, bad Emma, bad Emma.”_

“Baby, no. You did nothing wrong sweet…”

_“Emma peed in her bed, bad Emma, Emma needs a lesson.”_

Regina couldn’t remember ever seeing this much pain in one single face before.

_“Emma needs that fucking hole of hers stuffed so she doesn’t fucking pee everywhere. Get me another beer.”_

Her voice had changed. Not a little girl anymore. But most certainly things that she had heard people say when she was a child. She could feel her own tears streaming down her face. Regina’s heart hurt. It hurt so much for Emma.

“Shhh my love. It’s okay. You are safe here baby. They were lying, you did absolutely nothing wrong. I promise you, Emma. Nobody is going to hurt you ever again, not if I can help it. Mama is here for you. Mama is always here for you.”

Emma fisted Regina’s shirt. She was still hiccuping, but something in her shifted. All of a sudden, she pulled her hands free, and started palming Regina’s breast, grinding herself into her leg, and kissing her collarbone. She desperately sucked on the delicate skin, still crying, shaken by sobs, in a frenzy to make herself feel something else. Anything but her memories.

Regina stilled. This was not good. She understood what Emma was doing, but she couldn’t let her continue. Very, very gently, she grabbed the girl’s hand, and held it in her own. She pushed her back a little, just enough to get her attention. The blonde was breathing heavily, gasping, trying to touch her again. When she raised her eyes to look at the mayor, there was only sadness. And then she slumped into Regina, and she cried silently, and the brunette wrapped her in a cocoon of arms and legs and blankets and love.

“I’m sorry”, the girl whispered.

“Shhh. I love you, Emma. I love you in so many ways.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer:
> 
> I know that these kinds of ageplay relationships or fantasies don't always have anything to do with childhood abuse. I'm well aware. But I want to go there, because I've always felt like things have happened in Emma's past that hurt her very badly. And I'm absolutely planning on exploring that side of the story. Because it's kind of what I do? (And kind of what I know.)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina makes a decision without telling Emma. Bad Regina!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The words _you don’t know how precious you are, you don’t know how much I adore you_ are from the song The Ocean by my favourite singer, Dar Williams. They popped into my head while I was writing, so naturally, I used them. ;-)
> 
> I'm saying some things in the notes at the end, because I just can't seem to shut up.

Regina couldn’t fall back asleep. She was wide awake. Her little girl was snoring softly into her chest, and she couldn’t stop stroking her hair, her back, making sure she was safe, looking for signs that she was having a bad dream again, so she could… do what? Wake her? Wait it out, in case she needed her? She also couldn’t stop thinking about what she’d just learned. Emma had been hurt. Her Emma. Maybe at only five years old, if her chosen age meant anything. So badly, she was still suffering from it. She felt absolutely sick. Devastated. Helpless. 

_You don’t know how precious you are.  
You don’t know how much I adore you._

She knew what being hurt could do to a person. She didn’t know the details of Emma’s story, but it wasn’t hard to guess. Her own situation hadn’t been the same, but it didn’t have to be. She knew the pain. She knew the fear. She knew the shame. And she had dealt with it, worked on it with Archie, and found a way to accept that she had no guilt in what had happened to her. She was guilty of a lot of things, but she had learned to believe that this wasn’t one of them. She didn’t know if Emma had. Should she ask her? Should she suggest that she talk to someone? Should she just be there for her when she needed it? Hold her, take care of her, make sure she felt safe?

What if their special kind of relationship was more harmful than helpful? As much as she loved what they had, if it was going to hurt Emma, she could not continue. She was the one person who Emma had trusted with this, and she would rather die than cause her any more pain.

She had no doubts that Emma wanted this as much as she did. But as her friend, and her mommy, and her… lover? girlfriend?... she also had a responsibility to do what was best for her. And only because it felt good, and it felt right, did it mean it actually was? 

She kissed the blonde’s hair, softly as to not wake her. She had made herself so vulnerable. Her little girl had opened herself up so much, without saying a lot. She felt soft, and small. And strong, and wonderful.

Regina sighed quietly.

She had a million questions. And by the time she finally fell asleep, she had made a decision.

***

She wasn’t sure if she was doing the right thing. In fact, she was terribly afraid that it was the wrong thing. She also knew that she probably should have told Emma before doing it. She was scared of hurting her. She was scared of making her angry. She was scared of losing her trust. In the midst of her spiral of emotions, she had selfishly decided to do it. She was about to turn around from the door in front of her, and just go home. Deal with it herself. This was about Emma, not about her.

But the door opened, and there was no turning back.

She walked into the room, like she had done many times before. But it wasn’t like any other time. She slowly took a few steps, and sat down in one of the chairs. Not the couch. Not this time.

“Good afternoon, Regina. I haven’t seen you in here in a while.” Archie smiled at her over the rim of his glasses.

Regina was uncomfortable. She folded her hands, then unfolded them again, then fidgeted with the buttons of her blouse.

“Regina.” He took off his glasses, and put them on the side table. “You seem nervous. Is there anything you would like to talk about?”

She took a deep breath. Then another one.

“This can’t leave this room, Archie. And I _will_ kill you if it does.”

The doctor sighed. “Of course not. Have I ever betrayed your trust?”

The mayor exhaled. “No, you haven’t. But this is different. It’s not about me.”

“Unless you or someone else is a danger to themselves or to others, there is no reason why anyone should ever know. Okay? Who is it about?”

“I… I don’t want to share that information at the moment. I just need some… advice, I guess. A professional opinion.”

“Well then”, Archie said, put his glasses back on, and picked up his notepad.

“Don’t write this down”, Regina growled. “Please.”

He put the pad away, and raised his hands.

“Alright, Regina. As you wish. So this is about someone else. Does that person have a problem? Do you have a problem with that person?”

“Yes. I mean, no, I don’t, but… oh for god’s sake. I shouldn’t have come here.” She reached for her purse, but the doctor’s soft voice made her stop in her tracks.

“Look. Just try. You’re already here, so what’s the harm?”

She slumped back into her chair, and looked out the window behind Archie. She stayed silent for a long few moments. Then, she focused on the therapist again, sat up straight, and began to talk.

“A person I care about very… deeply… was hurt… badly… as a child. I don’t know the details. All I know is that sh… they are suffering nightmares. Bad guys… they are... and when I asked her… them… for god’s sake, _her_ , if the bad guys had hurt her, she broke down. Completely. She didn’t need to say anything, it was obvious that she’s traumatized. There was bad… sexual stuff, I believe. And we haven’t talked about it since it happened last night. This morning, she seemed better. But Archie… it was so heartbreaking. She must have gone through horrible things.”

Archie took his glasses off again. “Is that person still a child now?”

_Come on, Regina. Tell him. Help Emma._

“This is hard to talk about, okay?”

Archie nodded.

“She is not technically a child anymore. I mean, no, she’s not. She’s an adult. But… she likes… she is... “

The doctor gave her an encouraging smile.

“She is… with someone, and sometimes, they… she likes… she needs… jesus christ… okay. She loves to feel like a child sometimes. To be treated like one. And the person she is with… likes to… really loves to take care of her. As if she… was a child, in a way…”

“Oh. Is either of the persons in this situation you, Regina?”

She didn’t want to blush. She didn’t want to feel defensive. She didn’t really want to be there at all. But the words just came out anyway.

“Yes. She is… it’s so special. It’s very new, and it’s someone I’ve known for quite a while, and there has always been something between us… but not like this. It’s so amazing, Archie. But the thing is, I don’t want to make it worse for her by doing this… playing this game.”

“Is it a game though, mayor?”

That startled her for a moment. She turned her head to look him in the eyes, and she could feel herself getting emotional.

“No”, she whispered.

“Could you repeat that, please?”

She cleared her throat. “No. It is not a game to me. I don’t think it is a game to her either. It’s something I didn’t know I was looking for. I didn’t know I needed it. I didn’t know she needed it. But I don’t want to continue if it could hurt her further. Will it? Hurt her, I mean?”

“Why do you think it could hurt her?”

Regina’s eyes started to get a bit damp. She’d never cried in front of Archie, not even in her own therapy, and she wasn’t going to start now. She took a deep breath.

“Isn’t it possible that she needs this, or wants this, because her real childhood was bad? And if that’s the case, aren’t I helping her create something fake? Something she needed as a child, but never had? And couldn’t that hurt her?”

Archie seemed to be thinking about it a little too long for Regina’s taste. Then, he stood up, and she was sure that he would tell her what a bad person she was, and how she was playing with Emma’s abuse, and to get out.

He walked to the window, and sat on the sill.

“Let’s say that you had a pet cat when you were a child.”

“Excuse me?”

“Stay with me. You had a pet cat, but it was a really mean, nasty animal. It bit you, and it scratched you. It hissed at you. But it was the only cat you had, so you took care of it. You fed it, you tried to pet it...”

“Archie…”

“Eventually, the cat died. You were a little sad about it, and sometimes you thought about it, and you felt just awful, because something that should have been nice, really wasn’t. But you were also kind of glad that it was over. You just wished that it had been a nicer cat, and that it had loved you. Then, when you got older, you got another cat. You weren’t looking for one, but it came into your life, and it was the nicest cat you’d ever met. You could pet the cat, the cat would sleep in your bed, it purred, and it was just all around a lovely cat.”

“I…”

The therapist sat back down in his chair.

“Does having this lovely new cat make you feel worse about your old, nasty cat? Humor me.”

Regina looked at him like he had grown antlers.

“I… well… no. It would make me feel like maybe not all cats are bad…”

Archie nodded. “Exactly. Would it make you feel like a new start with a cat? New, good memories with a cat?”

“I suppose…”

“Look, I know it’s not the same. But reliving something that was bad in the past, and is now something you really like, love even, is not a bad thing. Creating new, good memories of something that was not good in the past. Suggestion is powerful. It can help you heal.”

Regina bit her lip, thinking. After a few moments, she looked at the doctor.

“So are you saying that new and good memories about childhood, or fake childhood even, could help Emma deal with her old, bad memories?”

Archie smiled. 

“Certainly. But the most important thing, and I think the thing you need to know, is that what you are doing won’t hurt Emma.”

The mayor eyes went wide. “How… how did you know it was her?”

The doctor laughed. “Regina, you just said her name. But even if you hadn’t, it wasn’t that hard to guess.”

“Oh”, the brunette deadpanned, looking at her knees. “Archie… there’s one more thing. I can’t believe I’m saying this… but it’s probably important. The thing is… my question… how much physicality do you suppose would be acceptable in an arrangement… in a… relationship like ours? Do you understand what I mean?”

Archie smiled. “I understand. You’re talking about the sexual aspect of a mother-child dynamic.”

Regina covered her face with her hands. “Oh god. That sounds so wrong, doesn’t it.”

“Look. You and Emma are both adults. And whatever you do, if it’s consensual, everything is great. Emma’s not really a child. You are not really attracted to a child. If it feels right to include sexuality in that part of your relationship, there is nothing wrong with that.”

She exhaled deeply. “Thank you. You actually really helped me.”

“You sound surprised? And you’re welcome.”

Regina got up from her chair, and smirked. “Well. Your analogies are a bit strange, but I suppose you do make sense sometimes.”

“Coming from you, that’s a big compliment. And Regina! You and Emma, you two might just be each other’s new cat.”

***

Regina was breathing a little bit easier. Against all odds, her talk with Archie had actually calmed her own doubts. It hadn’t, however, made her any less worried about Emma. 

She wanted to get back home, to prepare something special for when the sheriff came over. She was contemplating a candlelight dinner, making her signature dish, lasagna, putting on some nice music. 

But then, she had a new idea. _A better idea_ , she hoped. So after a few stops at a few different shops, a text message to Emma, asking Little Emma’s favourite colour ( _green, smileyface_ ), and a short talk with her sister about little girls - Zelena was left very curious - she arrived at the mansion. She had about two hours before Emma would come home.

When Emma texted her that she had just walked out of the police station, and would be seeing her soon, she replied, asking if Little Emma or Big Emma would be coming home. “Little Emma, if you don’t mind.” That’s what she had hoped for.

Ten minutes later, the door bell rang, and Regina was suddenly filled with excitement, nerves, and anticipation. After one last look around, she opened the door.

Emma was standing there, grinning, her cheeks red, her hair cascading down her back and shoulders. She looked so beautiful, Regina forgot to breathe for a moment. 

She hugged the blonde, whispered into her ear “I’m so glad you’re home”, and led her into the house. Then, she took her backpack, and helped her get out of her leather jacket and her shoes. All the while, Emma was smiling, and letting her do all the things she was completely capable of doing herself.

“You’re wearing sweat pants”, Emma proclaimed, grinning.

Regina smirked. “Indeed. And so are you in a minute. Go to the bathroom, I put a change of clothes for you in there. Wash your face and hands. I want no trace of makeup on that beautiful face of yours. You are too young for that right now, sweetheart.”

The blonde nodded, and did as she was told. Halfway to the bathroom, she turned around, because she hadn’t heard Regina move. The mayor was still standing there, watching Emma adoringly. She realized that she had been caught, so she winked - or tried to - and turned around to make sure for the last time that everything looked as she wanted it to in the living room. Then, she went back into the hall, and waited for Emma.

A few minutes later, the door opened, and the girl came out, wearing green sweat pants, a white t-shirt with a Mickey Mouse print, and big fluffy purple socks. She had put her hair up in a ponytail, and her face was ever redder than before from scrubbing. She had also clearly taken off her bra, and Regina tried hard not to focus on that. She cupped her cheek, and and looked at her. She was flawless. Her Emma was perfect.

“Dinner’s ready, sweetheart. Why don’t you go to the living room, I will be right there.”

With that, she placed a kiss on the sheriff’s temple, and walked towards the kitchen. She had barely made it to the stove when she heard a scream from the living room. A joyful scream. She smiled to herself, and put everything they needed for dinner on a tray. Then, she quietly crossed the hall, and took in the view presenting itself to her.

Emma Swan was sitting on the floor in a huge blanket fort. There were fairy lights spread all over the inside, but they were no match for the light in Emma’s eyes. A few tears probably added to the sparkling, and the girl was wrapped in a huge, soft, green blanket. There were pillows on the floor, and a big white teddy bear with a tag around its neck that said “Queenie’s mommy”. The lights in the living room were dimmed, and two big candles on either side of the room made shadows dance across the walls.

Regina walked over to where the blonde was sitting. Emma looked at her with so much happiness in her eyes, it made her feel all warm and tingly inside. 

“You did this for me?”, the girl asked, looking at her mommy adoringly.

“Just for you, babygirl. Do you like it?” 

“I love it, mama. I love it so much! Thank you!”

Regina put the tray on the floor, and grabbed a stack of DVDs from the coffee table.

“You’re very welcome, my love. How would you like it if mommy and Emma watched a movie and ate hot dogs?”

Emma nodded vigorously, and her smile was everything Regina had hoped for.

“Can we eat in the fort?”

“Of course, my wonderful girl. Here, choose a movie.”

Emma looked through the selection, and pointed at The Lion King. Regina took it, and put it in the DVD player. Then, she grabbed the remote control, and sat down next to Emma in the fort. She turned on the movie, and looked at the blonde.

“Are you ready for dinner?”

Again, Emma nodded. “Is this Emma’s blanket? It’s so soft! And green!”

Regina raised her hand, and stroked Emma’s cheek.

“It’s all yours sweetheart.”

Emma sighed contently, and leaned into the touch.

When the opening credits started running, Regina began to prepare their hot dogs. Extra mayo for Emma. They ate in silence, enjoying eachother’s company, and watching the movie. There was nowhere else Regina would have rather been. Emma looked so happy, smiling, laughing at the movie. Crying a little during the sad parts. Putting her head in Regina’s lap while still munching on her hot dog. When they were done, they laid down on their stomachs, and Emma covered them both with her blanket.

Half an hour later, Regina, who couldn’t take her eyes off Emma, noticed that the girl’s eyelids were getting heavy. She pulled her gently into her arms, so she could still see the TV if she wanted to, and Emma grunted adorably, and tucked herself into the curves of Regina’s body. And a few minutes later, the sheriff was cuddled up, a smile still spread on her face as she was falling asleep to the sound of The Lion King.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have not studied psychology, the whole conversation between Archie and Regina is from my imagination of how it could happen. I don't know if a real therapist would really say those things, but from my own experience, at least one of my therapists definitely liked to use weird analogies, and I can hear him say those words. If anyone is trained in psychology, please don't hate me if I got it all wrong. ;-)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there are many feels, a few tears, strong words, and a naked mayor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Smutty New Year everyone!
> 
> I've had this chapter ready for probably around two weeks, but for some reason I was really reluctant to post it. I keep waiting for the landslide of negative criticism, because surely, you guys can't keep being as awesomely supportive as you have been? The other shoe, and all.
> 
> But seriously, thank you so much for everything! I can't believe I'm actually writing a multi-chapter story that I haven't abandoned yet, and have no intention of abandoning until it's finished.
> 
> But here we go. I'm ready. I think... ;-)

Regina woke up from the feeling of soft breaths against the back of her neck, and frequent kisses, all of them in the same spot. They were tiny little touches, and they felt heavenly, so she decided to enjoy them a bit longer, before letting Emma know that she was awake too. Her little girl was snuggled up to her, one arm under her head, and the other hand was resting on the mayor’s hip. Emma did nothing more than just kissing her hair, breathing in her scent. Her hand didn’t move, her body didn’t press closer. She was just contently lying in her fort, enjoying the closeness. The warmth. She was like a kitten lying in the sun.

The candles had burnt out, and it was still very dark outside. 

Regina knew that she had to tell Emma about her talk with Archie. She wanted no secrets between them, but she wasn’t sure how the blonde would take it. After all, she had told someone about Emma’s darkest memories. She’d never meant for Archie to know who she was talking about. It had just slipped out, and now she felt guilty.

“Hi”, she whispered.

 _Now_ Emma pushed herself closer. Regina could almost feel the smile on the girl’s lips.

“Hi mommy. I like waking up with you.”

Emma’s fingers started to rub circles into the skin on her hip. Regina sighed. It couldn’t wait. She’d waited too long already.

“I like it very much too, babygirl. I… I need to talk to you, Emma. Operation duckling?”

The blonde instantly stopped her ministrations, and nodded. “Yes, of course!”

Regina pushed herself up into a sitting position. “Not in here. Let’s go to the kitchen. I will make us some coffee.”

She got up, and walked towards the door. Emma struggled to get to her feet and keep up with her, but when she arrived in the kitchen, she took Regina’s hand, and turned her around so she was facing her.

“Regina, what’s going on? Are you breaking up with me? Or with Little Emma? Or both?”

The brunette’s heart sunk. Emma looked so anxious. And Regina suddenly realized how scared she was herself. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing Emma. Any Emma.

She gave the blonde’s hand a squeeze, and slumped against the kitchen island.

“No, Emma… that’s not it at all. I don’t want to lose you, or Little Emma. But I’m scared that’s what’s going to happen if I tell you.”

Emma sighed. “I don’t understand, but whatever it is, it can’t be that bad?”

Regina turned around, and put her hands on the counter. She took a deep breath. Then, she faced the blonde again.

“After what happened last night… I was so worried. Worried about you, and about what I can do to help you. But also about what we’re doing. I was afraid that it could harm you. So I talked to someone…”

Emma took a step back.

“You what?”

“I’m so sorry, Emma. I know that I should have talked to you. I was wrong to do what I did. But I thought that Archie could…”

“ARCHIE?” Emma glared at her. “You talked to Archie? About ME?”

Regina tried to take Emma’s hand again, but the blonde stepped back further. The mayor helplessly dropped her shoulders.

“I thought it was the right thing to do, for a moment. And then it was too late. I can’t tell you how sorry I am, sweetheart.”

Emma snarled. “No, you don’t get to sweetheart me right now. You betrayed me! I’ve never told anyone what happened, and I didn’t really tell you either, by the way. But you thought you had the right to talk about me with some shrink who I would have never, ever wanted to know?”

She was raging now. She paced back and forth, her hands curled into fists.

“And what did you tell him? That poor little Emma was hurt, and you want to be the hero who saves her? Is that it, Regina? Has all this hero crap blinded you?”

“Emma, no…”

“NO. No no no no. I’m not a project. I’m not really a little girl you have to save. I make my own decisions, I have always made my own decisions. I’m fine on my own. I don’t need you or anyone else to analyze my past.”

Emma turned around, and started walking towards the door. Regina felt completely helpless. She knew Emma was right. She knew she had made a mistake, no matter how good her intentions had been. Then, Emma stopped, and propped her hand against the door frame.

“So what’s the verdict? Did he tell you that I’m broken? That I want to play our little game to get something I never had, and never will have? Did he tell you in his disgustingly sweet voice that you need to tiptoe around me, to treat me like I’m breakable? What, Regina. Did it make you feel better? And what about tonight? That was one of the kindest things anyone has ever done for me, but now I’m not so sure. Was it just one last indulgence before you go back to reality?”

The mayor didn’t know how to respond. “No, Emma... I wish I could take it back.” The words came out hoarsely.

_Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry, you have no right to make this about yourself._

Emma looked at her with sad eyes. She visibly deflated, her shoulders dropping.

“I don’t trust people, Regina”, she whispered. “I don’t trust them, but I trusted you. You should have talked to me.”

With that, she walked out of the kitchen, leaving Regina in a state of panic that rendered her feeling paralized. So that was it. Over before it had really begun. She took a few deep breaths, but it didn’t help. She’d sworn she would never let anyone hurt Emma again, not if she could help it. And now she herself had hurt her. 

After a few moments, Regina could hear voices from the TV in the livingroom.

_She hasn’t left._

She knew she had about ten seconds before she would burst into tears from relief, from guilt, from fear, and from sadness. She quickly left the room, and ran up the stairs. She cried the second her body hit the bed. She pulled a pillow in front of her face to muffle the noise. All that had happened in the last days, the confusion, the worry, the betrayal, Emma’s tears, the love, the sex, it all poured out of her until she had a hard time breathing, and her head hurt.

She didn’t hear the steps on the stairs, didn’t notice that the door was being opened. She didn’t hear the quiet footsteps. She didn’t know Emma had come in until she felt a tender kiss to her cheek. Regina opened her eyes, and looked at Emma, still not able to say anything, or even move. Her sobs the only sound in the room, and try as she might, she just couldn’t stop. Without words, the sheriff got into bed with her. She pulled the blanket over their bodies, and snuggled closer to her. She slid one arm under her head, and the other over her waist, spooning her. Regina moved her arm and grabbed Emma’s hand that was lying on the pillow next to her head. Right away, the blonde intertwined their fingers, soothingly rubbing circles into her skin.

Regina pressed her body closer into Emma’s. The girl’s arm around her waist tightened as she started whispering “it’s okay mommy, it’s going to be okay”, like a mantra. She lifted her head, hovering over her face, and then she started kissing away her tears. Softly. Lovingly. Deep down, a part of Regina was worried about this switching of roles, how Emma gave her this physical comfort as Little Emma. But her lips were soft on her cheek, and her fingers were soft on her hand, and then… then a soft hand started drawing patterns on her stomach. A shiver ran down her spine.

Suddenly, Emma’s hand was under her shirt. Accidentally, maybe. And then, she started caressing her. Her tummy, her sides, and rather too far down her front for Regina to not be affected. She just caressed her for a long time, telling her that she was there for her, kissing away every new tear that fell. The brunette’s eyes dried, but another part of her did just the opposite.

“I’m sorry, mommy, I’m sorry I made you cry”, the blonde whispered. “I overreacted. I’m still mad at you, but I know that you just want to help me. I don’t know how to feel. I’m confused. But I need you. I… really need you.”

Regina put her hand over Emma’s on her belly, and said “I’m so grateful you’re here baby, and you don’t have to apologize for anything. You did nothing wrong, I did. And I’m so sorry, my love. I should have talked to you.” Emma let out a sigh of relief, and her tense body relaxed against hers. 

They laid there for a long time.

And then, Emma’s hand started stroking her again. And her forehead dropped to Regina’s neck, and she let out a soft moan.

“Are you okay, sweetheart?”

Emma nodded. “Mhm. Mommy. You know when you massaged Emma, and Emma got really wet in her panties, because she liked it so much?”

_Oh good lord…_

Emma’s words went straight to Regina’s core. 

“I do remember, Emma.”

The blonde smiled, chewing on her lip.

“Does mommy also like it when… when Emma is stroking her tummy?”

“Yes, baby”, Regina breathed. She felt warm all over. So warm.

Emma’s hand slipped under the elastic waist of her sweat pants. Just a fraction of an inch, but Regina’s head was swimming. Emma stroked her skin with one finger, from one side to the other. Then, she pulled her hand out again, and circled her belly button.

Slowly, very slowly, soft little fingers trailed up to her stomach, her ribs, and then Emma stilled her hand, looking at her questioningly. Regina nodded. And then she felt Emma’s fingers tremble, as they grazed the underside of her breast, and this time, it was her turn to silently whimper. 

With that, the blonde started to softly stroke her fingertips over a clothed breast, light like a feather at first, but then she got braver, and she cupped her with her whole palm, feeling a nipple strain against her and turn into a stiff pebble. Bolts of pleasure surged through Regina. Emma’s head dropped to her shoulder, and this time, she kissed her skin, teasing it between her teeth, then laving her tongue over the bite. Regina’s breathing became quicker, and she was just so… so full of need.

She lifted her arms, and her girl caught on right away, and helped her take off her shirt. Her nipples and areolas were clearly visible through the thin and lacy fabric of her bra. Emma gasped at the view. She cupped one of her breasts again, and gently started massaging.

The sheriff’s mouth was suddenly by her ear, and she bit her lobe, and then sucked it into her mouth. Regina couldn’t hold back a loud moan. Emma licked the shell of her ear, and then whispered “mommy… I want to see you have a volcano. I… didn’t see it last time… but I heard… and I want to give you one… ” At the same time, a gush of arousal spilled into Regina’s underwear, and she managed to say “yes”. And Emma said “May I please touch your… your… pussy… and stroke your nub… like… like you did with me?” Regina gasped at her choice of words. She moaned, and nodded her head.

Her hand slid down, pulling her over a little, so she was lying halfway on her side and halfway on her. One of her hands reached behind her back, and opened the clasp of her bra. Regina lifted her arms to help her take it off. Staring at her tits, Emma groaned, and pressed her legs together. She whispered “you are so beautiful”. And with that, she lowered her head to the brunette’s chest, and her tongue started to lick her nipple, and it instantly turned hard as stone. Spurred on by the reaction, she wrapped her lips around it, and started to suck. Regina arched her back, pushing her breast further into the warm mouth. She was nearly going crazy with lust, and her hand grabbed Emma’s thigh, her nails digging into her skin.

Emma trailed her fingers across Regina’s stomach, pausing to dip into her bellybutton. Then she put her palm flat on her lower belly, massaging just above the seam of her pants. Regina could feel electricity flowing right into her core. The blonde hooked her fingers into the elastic of the garment, and Regina quickly helped her take off her pants. Emma’s eyes caught on her panties, and she said, almost shyly, “mama, your underwear is soaked, that’s because you’re… aroused… right?” Regina nodded, smiling, a little breathless. “Because of me?” She grabbed her girl’s hand, giving it a squeeze, and said “yes, my love, it’s all because of you.” Emma’s hand instinctively went to the wet fabric, stroking it as she said “woah…”. Regina chuckled. “Would you… would you like to feel it?” Emma nodded enthusiastically, and laid back down beside her, pulling her close to her again. Regina took her hand, and guided it towards her soaked center. Then, she didn’t have to guide her anymore, because her hand slid beneath the fabric of her panties. She gasped. Emma gasped.

Emma continued stroking her for a bit, her hands almost as soaked as Regina’s pussy. “Mommy, I really want to rub your little nub… can you show me?” Regina reached down, and rid herself of the last piece of clothing she was wearing. Then, she took Emma’s hand, and slowly helped her part her folds, spreading her legs for easier access. She put her fingers on top of Emma’s, and a bolt of electricity flashed through her as their joint digits found her clit. “Can you feel it?” Emma exhaled sharply, and smiled. Then she started on her own accord to softly stroke it in little circles. Regina couldn’t keep her moans in anymore. Her little girl laid down again, and put her head on Regina’s chest, her tongue again licking her nipple, her eyes intently watching her own hand pleasuring her mommy, feeling more and more wetness around her hand.

The girl’s breathing became erratic, and she instinctively started to grind herself into Regina’s hip bone. The brunette pressed closer to Emma, so the blonde could get better friction to her center. It was warm, and Regina could tell her little girl was aroused and wet.

After a while, Emma asked “is it okay if I put my finger inside of you?” Regina whimpered “yes, please”, and Emma slid her fingers down her wet pussy, acting like she was not sure at first where she was supposed to go, but then she found her opening, and it was so wet, she had no problem slipping not one, but two fingers right into her. Her thumb went right back to Regina’s clit, and she stroked it while her fingers pushed into her, then pulled out again, and in and out.

Her moans, the feel of her wet pussy around her fingers, her hard clit, all of it was suddenly so overwhelming for her little girl, she could barely finish saying “mommy, I can’t hold it”, and then Emma came with a scream. She was jerking against Regina frantically, riding out her orgasm, whimpering, rubbing Regina faster in sync with her own movements. When she was finally still, only her fingers moving lazily inside of Regina, she timidly said “I’m sorry… I couldn’t stop it.” The brunette instantly switched to mommy-mode, or at least the version of it where her little girl’s fingers were buried in her pussy, and said “shh, you did so well my love, I’m so happy it was so exciting for you”.

At that, Emma lifted her head to look at Regina, and she lowered hers, and she softly pressed her lips to the blonde’s. When the girl started to react, Regina started to play, licking her skin, biting and pulling it, and Emma’s hand once again started pumping into her, and thumbing her clit like someone’s life depended on it. Regina moaned loudly into her mouth, not able to keep quiet. She was nearly crying again, so overwhelmed by what was happening. Her whole body tensed, and she could feel herself being taken higher and higher. The blonde’s fingers were relentless.

“Yes, baby, oh god… that’s so good, don’t stop, please…”

Her hips started rocking into Emma’s hand, and the wet sounds were audible even over her moaning. Emma went back to her nipple, sucking on it, biting, then licking to soothe it. Regina’s moans got even louder, and her breathing became erratic. Her thighs started to tremble.

“Sweetie, mommy is really close to the volcano… ahhh… don’t stop baby, oh god… don’t stop…”

In between nipple licks, Emma whispered "You look... so beautiful... so… soft... the most beautiful… woman.. in the world... Emma is feeling... all tingly again… "

She kept pumping her fingers into her, but then she bent her body, so her face was suddenly right above Regina’s center. The blonde looked up at her, eyes hooded. She stroked around her clit, light as a feather. Regina couldn’t take her eyes off the blonde. “You smell so nice, mama. It’s making Emma all dizzy in the head. I am going to lick your nub now, okay?” Regina could only nod. And suddenly, the finger on her clit was replaced by a wet tongue, and Regina honest to god screamed, and it was in no way regal or mayoral.

She licked very carefully at first, just little tastes, a few nibbles. Then she got braver, licking circles around Regina’s erect clit, and across the nub between each of them. The brunette buried her hands in Emma’s blonde locks, threading, scratching helplessly. Emma groaned at Regina’s taste. Her tongue licked faster, and her fingers in Regina’s wet pussy curled in all the right spots. The brunette had lost all control, her whole body was burning under Emma’s touch.

And then, Regina shattered, and it was glorious, and she just kept bucking, out of control, and Emma didn’t stop until she was completely spent, the waves dying down to tiny mini-contractions in her pussy, and she softly pulled the blonde’s face away from her clit. The girl looked up, and smiled at her proudly. She straightened her body again, head coming to rest in Regina’s armpit. She was licking her lips, and Regina chuckled.

“Are you okay baby?” Emma nodded vigorously. “I’m SO okay!”

The blonde put her fingers in her mouth, and contently started to suck them clean, as if she had stuck them in a jar of peanut butter. 

Regina was in awe of the woman and the little girl in her arm. And a tiny bit worried about the seemingly switched roles they had taken on for a while there, when Emma had comforted her, despite being the one deserving comfort.

“Emma?”

The blonde looked up at Regina.

“I hurt you. I’m so incredibly sorry. I needed someone to tell me that what we're doing won't make it even worse for you. And I didn't realize that someone should have been you.”

Emma closed her eyes.

“As an adult, I am really angry you told Archie. As Little Emma, I feel cared for. Protected. Like I matter.”

Regina lifted her hand to stroke Emma’s hair.

“You matter, sweetheart, you do. So much. And I want to show you everyday how much, and I blew it, I know. And... I wasn’t thinking about Little Emma or Big Emma. Just Emma. And I should have talked to you instead. I was being selfish.”

Emma sighed.

“She's a part of me. We're not separate people. Some things feel safer and easier when I'm little. Sometimes, like right now, I don't feel little or big. And sometimes, I know exactly that I need to be Little Emma. I've always had her in me. I've just never had anyone who saw her, and wanted her, before. She's never felt safe enough to come out and be seen. You saw her. You SEE her. And she doesn't want to be locked away again. Is that weird?”

“I don't think it's weird. You're Emma. My Emma. My lovely Emma. Every part of you.”

_Jesus Christ Regina, you’re tearing up again…_

Emma sat up, then let her hand rest softly on Regina’s cheek.

“That’s all I have ever wanted to be.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a little interlude to set the mood.
> 
> Things will happen in the next chapter. ;)

“Sweetie, your bath is ready!”

Emma looked up from her reading, and towards the closed bathroom door. A smile spread on her face, and she slowly closed the book, and sat up.

It was Friday evening, and after a long day at work, they’d had a lovely time with Henry, eating Regina’s homemade lasagna, talking, and watching a movie together. Now, Henry was in his own bedroom, and Regina had disappeared into the ensuite a while ago.

“Emma, I won’t take you to the fair tomorrow if you’re not clean. Come on!”

The blonde grinned, and got off the bed. She walked to the door, and opened it. Regina was sitting on the edge of the bathtub, hand in the water to check the temperature. The tub was filled to the rim with bubbles, and Emma’s eyes widened in surprise when she saw two rubber duckies swim in it, a green one and a purple one. The room was lit only by the vanity lights, and a fluffy green robe and a towel were draped across a chair.

Emma looked at Regina, whose face was free of makeup, and who had changed out of her business clothes and into pj bottoms and a white tank top that looked suspiciously like one of her own. The mayor smiled at her, and got up.

“Come here, dirty girl. You need a good scrubbing.”

Emma grinned. “Emma isn’t dirty, mommy.”

“Oh, she isn’t? I guess that chocolate around your mouth is part of your natural beauty, my pretty girl?” Regina tried to wink, and Emma laughed out loud.

“Mommy... do you really think Emma is pretty?”

Regina reached out for Emma’s hand, and when the blonde took it, she pulled her closer, and lovingly tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. 

“I think that Emma is the prettiest girl in all the realms, my love. And now get your butt into this bathtub, or so help me god!”

Emma chuckled, and started pulling her shirt over her head, making an awful tangled mess of it. Regina tried hard not to laugh, until her eyes caught on the perky breasts that were newly exposed, tips standing at attention. Making her core ache. She shook off the sudden wave of need, and went to help her. “Emma, what in the world… have you forgotten how to take off a shirt?”

Her whole face covered by fabric, Emma mumbled “sorry mommy, please help”. Regina sighed, and gently pulled the stuck garment over Emma’s head. Then, while she was at it, she pulled down the girl’s jeans, and helped her step out of them, and her underwear.

“In you go!”

Emma put one leg in the water, fully aware that Regina was still crouching behind her, spreading her legs way further than needed, exposing absolutely everything. The brunette swallowed. Her little girl was beautiful, but she couldn’t go there now. Literally and figuratively.

Then, the moment passed, and Emma slowly sat down in the warm water, and started moving bubbles around.

Regina bathed Emma in silence. She washed her hair, and the blonde’s content little sighs as she massaged her scalp were the most satisfying things ever. Emma even stopped shifting bubbles for a moment, and just enjoyed Regina’s hands. The brunette rinsed her hair, making sure no soap got into her eyes. Then, she applied conditioner, and sat back on her heels, arms crossed on the edge of the tub. She watched Emma, who was leaning back, eyes closed, covered up to her chest in bubbles. A soft smile spread on her face as she was taking in the beauty of the moment.

She didn’t know how long they’d just been sitting there, until Emma cracked one eye open, and mirrored her smile.

“It’s perfect”, the blonde whispered.

Regina raised an eyebrow.

“I want this. This. This is perfect.” Emma explained.

Regina dropped one hand into the water, and swirled her fingers around.

“Who would have thought, right?”

Emma grabbed her hand, and stilled it underwater. “I would have.”

Regina looked up in surprise. “How?”

The blonde’s forehead wrinkled in thought.

“I… I have always wanted to be close to you. I just didn’t know in how many ways. I would wrap my own arms around myself at night, imagining they were yours. I imagined you telling me that everything would be alright. When we defeated the monster of the day, and you would say ‘well done, Emma’, I would literally bathe in your words.” She looked down, almost a little embarrassed. “I’ve always craved your attention. I have always lived for that special smile that you only seem to give Henry and me.”

The brunette’s face grew even softer. “I had no idea”, she whispered.

Emma looked up again, and smiled. “It’s not exactly something I would have proudly proclaimed to the world, Regina.” She chuckled. “Or can you imagine? Hey, Regina, I really want to be your baby if you don’t mind, and it would be great if you could hold me every night, and wash my hair, and cook for me. I’d also really like to see you naked. How many fireballs do you think you would have thrown?”

Now it was Regina’s turn to laugh. “Yeah, you eased me into the whole thing gently. To be honest, I don’t know what my reaction would have been had you just told me instead of made me… made me feel it. You helped me find out myself.”

“What did you find out?” Emma asked, shyly.

“Do you need to hear it again, sweetheart?” The blonde nodded. Regina got up on her knees, and grabbed a washcloth from the sink. She wet it in the bath water, and started running it up and down Emma’s arm.

“That first night, when you were so sick… it woke something in me, something I had no idea was there. Taking care of you made me happy. It completed me, like I had found a missing piece. Scoot forward.” Emma did, and Regina started to wash her back.

“I don’t know how much you remember of that night. Your fever was high, and you were really sick. At one point, I woke up, and you were crying, and you thought that I was your mother. And you begged me to never leave you again. And I couldn’t tell you that I wasn’t your mother. Your heart was already broken, I couldn’t hurt you even more when you were so sick. And so I told myself that I would talk to you about it later, and then I promised you that I would never leave you. And I meant it, and I still mean it.”

Emma’s eyes were swimming in tears and full of love when she turned her head and looked back at Regina.

“I don’t remember much from that night. Only how safe I felt. It was… a new feeling for me. And one I think I have become addicted to.”

Regina bent forward, and kissed Emma’s naked shoulder. Then, she pulled the blonde against her, and held her close, soaking her own clothes. “I feel the same, baby girl.”

Emma tucked her face into the crook of Regina’s neck, and started to draw little circles on her collarbone with her wet finger. She breathed in the mayor’s scent, and then said: “After I had my nightmare, and came to you, just before I fell asleep, you said something… you said you loved me in so many ways… do you… did you really…?”

Regina smiled into Emma’s soapy hair, and pulled her tighter.

“I still mean every word, my love.”

They sat like that in silence for a while. Then, Regina realized that the water was getting cold. She handed Emma the washcloth. “Here, finish washing yourself dear, and I will rinse your hair.”

Emma looked up. “Mooommy. I don’t want to! Will you do it for me? Please mama!”

“You’re old enough to wash yourself. I will help you in a moment.”

Emma pouted. Then, she started lazily dragging the washcloth down her legs, and up again, then her arms, and when she became aware that Regina’s eyes were following her every move, she moved both hands up to her breasts, covering one of them with the cloth, and the other with her fingers. She started washing her chest, although it looked a lot more like she was caressing herself, pinching her nipple in between strokes.

Regina shot her a warning look. “You do remember I told you I wasn’t taking dirty little girls to the fair tomorrow, right?”

Emma locked eyes with her.

“Mommy… when I imagined that my own arms around my body were yours… when you made me feel calm without even being there… that wasn’t the only time I imagined that you were with me…”

Regina groaned. “Emma…”

“When I was stroking my breasts, I imagined that it was you… when I let my hand slide down my tummy, and between my legs, it was you finding out exactly how wet your little girl was… when I had to come quietly, so my parents wouldn’t hear, it was your hand pressing against my mouth, and it was your name I screamed into it…” 

Emma’s breathing became heavier.

“Mommy, I’m… I need… it hurts, in a good way, down there… Emma needs…”

The mayor had heard enough.

“Stand up.”

Emma gave her a confused look.

“Stand up, babygirl. Mommy will take care of you.”

Emma reluctantly got to her feet in the cooling water, while Regina fixed the shower head in its place on the wall, and pulled the plug in the tub. Then, she turned on the water. Emma just stood there, under the spray, naked, looking stunning.

“You can use the safe word anytime my love, do you understand?”

Emma nodded.

Regina didn’t bother taking off her clothes, and stepped right into the draining water with Emma. She stared at the blonde, knowing exactly how hungry she looked. Then, she cupped both of Emma’s breasts with her hands, and pushed her back, until she was standing against the wall. The sheriff gasped at the sudden sensation of cold tiles in her back.

Regina took both of Emma’s nipples between her thumbs and middle fingers, and started to roll them. Emma moaned quietly. The mayor leaned in, and started to whisper into Emma’s ear.

“You have been a pretty disobedient little girl tonight, Emma. You didn’t come when I called you, and you whined when I asked you to wash yourself. I know it has been a long day, and I know that you are tired, so I’m going to let it slide. But the things you just told me… I want to see them for myself now, baby. Don’t think I didn’t notice that you were already wet when you got into this tub. You were wet for your mommy, and I like that about you, little one. And now I will touch you. I will slide my hand down your body and between your beautiful legs, and find out for myself how big of a mess you’ve made. And then, I will give you a volcano, and I will press my hand against your mouth so Henry won’t hear what a dirty little girl you are.”

And just like that, Regina could see the shift in Emma. She was no longer the disobedient yet adorable little girl, clearly controlled by a very adult Emma, who had tried to seduce her. Now she saw several worlds of trust in those beautiful green eyes, and submission, and adoration. It was delicious.

Without taking her eyes off Emma’s, she lifted one hand up to the girl’s cheek, and caressed her with her thumb. Her other hand traveled down her side, barely touching the wet skin. Emma shivered in anticipation. Goosebumps appeared under Regina’s fingertips, even in the warmth of the shower.

Regina knew that she would find Emma aroused. She knew that the wetness would be different from that of the water. But she hadn’t expected the completely drenched and ripe beauty between her little girl’s legs. She was soaked, and swollen, completely open, and Regina just softly stroked over her lips, and looked at the blonde in wonder.

“That much?”, she whispered, the authority from a minute ago gone from her voice. Emma nodded, almost shyly. Regina couldn’t tell for sure, but she thought she saw a tear make its way down the sheriff’s face, and she leaned forward, and placed a tender kiss to the spot.

Then, she removed her hand from Emma’s cheek, and put it on her shoulder. “Sit down, sweetheart”, she said, pushing her down to the little surface between the tub and the wall, swatting away several bottles of shampoo and shower gel in the process.

Emma did exactly as she was told. Since Regina was standing close to her, she had to open her legs to make room, and the brunette went down with her, until she was sitting between her knees. They never took their eyes off eachother, until Regina told Emma to close hers. Emma did.

Slowly, the brunette took in the view. She had never seen anything more beautiful. 

Emma’s cheeks were red, and droplets of water were sticking to the lashes of her closed eyes. She had her lower lip caught between her teeth as she was waiting for Regina’s next move. Her chest was rising and falling just a little faster than normal, the rosy tips hard and plump, the skin around them wrinkled.

The spray of the shower was now hitting Regina mostly, and she wrapped her arms around each of Emma’s thighs, and finally let her eyes wander to her destination. It looked as beautiful as it had felt. She could feel Emma slide forward a tiny bit, and she held on tighter, constricting the blonde in her spot.

When she finally let herself taste her little girl, it didn’t take long before Emma climaxed. She had been close for some time, and the brunette had no intention to delay her release. Regina’s tongue lapping at a swollen clit, two of her fingers pumping in and out of her, massaging her front wall with every stroke, she even drew a little gush of liquid from the blonde. She smiled, filing the detail away for another time.

Emma was completely limp and hyperrelaxed when she was done with her. A series of content baby sounds fell from her mouth, and Regina wrapped her in the thick robe, and led her into the bedroom. There, she sat her down on the bed, and went back to take off her wet clothes and to grab the hair dryer from the bathroom. She plugged it in, and sat behind Emma crosslegged.

Emma didn’t use her words again that night. She seemed to be in her own world where everything was warm and safe. She let Regina dry her hair, and put on her pyjamas. She grunted adorably when the brunette fluffed her pillow, and held up the blanket for her to slide under. There was no sign of tension in her body when Regina lay down behind her and gathered her into her arms.

Regina contemplated for a moment asking her if she was five years old right then. She seemed younger. But she decided against making her speak. It didn’t really matter anyway. She seemed to feel safe with her.

And that was all Regina needed to know.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina takes Emma to the fair. Snowing make an appearance, and so does Ruby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update! All your messages about waiting for the next chapter mean SO much to me, and they do motivate me to write, so thank you! <3 
> 
> I hope I can post more regularly again, it's just been a tumultuous time lately.

The next morning came, and Emma was excited. They were going to do it. They were going to try to find out how she could be little in public, how they could incorporate that aspect of their relationship into their daily lives without people noticing. They had decided to go to the annual fair in the center of Storybrooke for it, because everyone was usually more playful and less likely to pick up on little private things when there was so much else to see all around them.

Regina had planned it all out. By the time she woke Emma, she had already been up for a good while. She had prepared breakfast, laid out Emma’s clothes, checked the weather forecast… she had made sure Emma’s new coat and her boots were ready, and that her beanie and her gloves were safely tucked into the coat pockets, should she need them later.

“You’re down here before Henry? Well done, sweetheart!”, Regina praised when not two minutes after waking her, Emma was already standing in the kitchen. The blonde blushed, and said “I’m really looking forward to today”, and then whispered “mama”, just in case Henry unexpectedly had got up already.

“Me too, baby.” The mayor walked over to her, coffee pot in hand, and kissed her nose. “Sit down, your waffles are ready.” Emma beamed, and took a seat at the breakfast bar, taking a sip of the hot chocolate that was already sitting there.

“Are you ready to talk to Henry like we discussed?”

“I am! It’s only fair. His friends will be there, and they will probably see us together. And if he’s not okay with us being open about, uh, us in public, we need to give him more time. Big Emma got it, don’t worry. Let’s do this.”

Regina smiled at her, and squeezed her hand.

A few minutes later, their son arrived in the kitchen, already showered and dressed, carrying his sneakers in his hands.

“Whoa kid, looks like you’re even more eager to get there than I am!” Emma winked at him.

Henry grinned. “Well, it’s only once a year, and there’s lots of food just waiting for me, so I’ll skip breakfast here, okay?”

Regina glared at her son. “You could have told me before I made you waffles.”

Henry punched Emma’s arm playfully. “It’s not like ma won’t be happy to eat mine as well…”

“Hey!”, Emma rolled her eyes while grabbing his plate. Their son laughed, and turned around.

“Henry, wait!” Regina got up, and Emma turned around on her stool.

“What?”

His mother took a few steps towards him. “We want to talk to you about something. The thing is… you know that Emma and I are… well, we are quite close, and we’ll be going to the fair together, and… we were wondering if it was okay for you if we… if the both of us… I mean...”

Henry looked at his mother, smirking.

“Kid, your mother is asking if it’s alright with you if we hold hands in public, and maybe hug a little, or kiss, you know, do coupley stuff.”

Henry rolled his eyes.

“As long as you’re not being as gross as grandma and grandpa…”

Regina fake-glared at him. “Henry Daniel Mills. Nobody is as gross as your grandparents.”

That made both Emma and Henry laugh out loud.

Regina smiled. “We just wanted to make sure you’re not uncomfortable with it in front of your friends.”

“Mom, my friends are cool. We had the talk last year, when people started going off about Paige’s two dads. The whole town knew you were in love when the both of you were still blind and stu… unaware...”

Emma glanced at Regina, trying to gauge her reaction to the “being in love” part. Regina just flashed them her Henry-and-Emma smile, and said “I guess that’s settled then.” Emma melted.

Henry nodded, and kissed each of them on the cheek. “I’ll see you around. Have fun!” 

“Oh, we will!”, Emma whispered, winking at Regina.

Half an hour later, Regina and Emma were all ready to leave. Regina had put Emma in her _adorable_ coat, helped her with her boots, and wiped away a bit of chocolate milk from her chin.

She held her hand when they walked to the Mercedes, and she leaned into the car to fasten Emma’s seatbelt for her. Then, Regina started the engine, and they were on their way to their next adventure.

Downtown Storybrooke was absolutely packed with people. Families with little children, older couples, groups of teenagers, the whole town was on their feet. 

Emma was in heaven. Holding on to her mommy’s hand, safe and happy, people giving them friendly smiles and curious looks, but none of them the wiser about what was really going on. She let herself be little in any way she knew wouldn’t attract too much attention to her behaviour. She took in all the lights, the colours, the music playing in every corner with big eyes and an open heart. 

_She had never had this as a child. She was so lucky she got to have it now. She was so blessed to have someone to share it with. Regina, Regina, Regina. She was Regina’s little girl. She got to sleep in her arms. She got to feel safe with her. She got to get lost in her warmth, in her care. She was everything to her. And she was right here, with her, she could even smell her perfume, and if she moved her head just a little bit, it would hit Regina’s shoulder. Home._

The air smelled like cotton candy and barbeque, and in front of Granny’s, Ruby was selling balloons to little children. 

They were what caught Emma’s eye as she was janked out of her thoughts. It wasn’t Ruby Lucas in her glorious mini skirt and barely there little shirt. It was the balloons. Regina watched Emma, as she always did, and didn’t miss the longing glow in her little girl’s eyes. She quietly said “do you want one, sweetheart?” Emma turned her head and looked at her in amazed disbelief. She nodded, and Regina squeezed her hand, and pulled her towards Ruby. The younger brunette beamed when she saw them approach.

“Em, Regina! I thought I would never see you two lovebirds again! Did you manage to get out of bed today?”

Emma just grinned. Regina decided to let it go. The waitress was sticking her nose into things that were none of her business, but she wasn’t completely wrong. 

“Miss Lucas, it’s nice to see you too! I would like to buy a balloon for Emma if you don’t mind. How much do I owe you?”

Ruby raised an eyebrow, and looked from Regina to Emma. Then, she shook her head, and said “I would have expected that from your mother, but…”, then she chuckled. “Love is weird. Okay then Emma, what colour?”

“Purple please”, Emma smiled, and Regina couldn’t have been prouder.

“Three bucks please, Regina”, Ruby said. Regina gave her five, and took the balloon from her. Then, she tied the string around Emma’s wrist, so she wouldn’t accidentally lose it. She kissed Emma’s cheek, and took her hand again, and they started walking away. After a few steps, Emma turned around, and said “thanks Rubes, have a great day!”, and Ruby saw something in her friend’s eyes that had never been there before. Peace. So she waved, blew the blonde a kiss, and decided that one day she wanted to feel exactly like Emma looked at that moment.

“So what do you want to do next, babygirl?” Regina looked around. There were countless options. Rides, market booths, petting zoo (consisting of Pongo), Curious Things by Mr. Gold... but Emma’s eyes had already found what they’d been looking for. She pulled Regina by her hand, and almost made the mayor run. And Regina laughed, because the mayor did not run if she could avoid it, but for Emma, she would. The blonde came to a halt in front of a little booth that said “ _100% Unpoisoned Apple Turnovers_ ”. Inside, Snow was busy getting hot pastries out of the oven, and Emma’s father was holding a powdered sugar shaker, looking like he’d much rather eat the sweet triangles than sell them.

Regina could hear Emma cracking up beside her, and she leaned over and whispered into the blonde’s ear “someone will pay for this, and if I find out you had something to do with it, you’ll be a very sorry little girl”. Emma looked at her in fake shock, and Regina winked. Or tried to.

Right then, Snow noticed the pair. She shoved the hot baking sheet into her husband’s hands, and ran out for a group hug. Regina almost shrieked in surprise, and Emma couldn’t stop laughing.

“Girls!”, Snow White exclaimed. “I’m so happy you came, and look at how cute you are together! I’m so excited for you!” In the background, Charming held up a bottle of apple liquor, pointing at his wife behind her back.

Regina rolled her eyes. Emma laughed, and let her head drop to Regina’s shoulder. Snow swooned. Literally swooned. Regina wasn’t sure what was happening, but she knew better than to protest in the face of a clearly happy Snow White.

Charming came out of the booth, rubbing his hands together.

“Hey Emma. Hi Regina. How are things?”

“Good, thank you, David”, Regina replied, still holding Emma’s hand.

Emma’s father seemed to be unsure of who or what to look at. He took a step forward, and put his arm around his wife.

“Isn’t Henry a little old for balloons?”

Emma looked at Regina, and then at the balloon tied to her arm.

“Uh… it’s not Henry’s, it’s mine. But if Henry wanted one, he could get one. Nothing wrong with having a little fun...”

Charming nodded, and rubbed his forehead. Something was clearly bothering him, but he didn’t say any more.

“Okay, so, we’ll have two of your unpoisoned apple turnovers please.” Emma squeezed Regina’s hand once more, and then pushed her mother back into the booth.

Charming looked at Regina awkwardly. She smiled at him, and said “so whose idea was the name of your little shop here?” Charming pulled his fingers through his hair. “Um… Henry’s. Don’t kill him.” 

Regina laughed. Henry, of course.

“Regina, I…” The mayor looked at him expectantly.

“I just… I feel like I’ve heard and seen some… you know what, nevermind, you are both adults. And if Emma is happy, that’s all that matters.” He scratched his head.

Regina looked at her feet, then him. “I think she is, David… I hope she is…” Charming nodded.

A voice in the background ended their conversation.

“Let’s go, Regina! We’ll eat our turnovers in the haunted house!”

The brunette turned to Emma and sighed. “If you think I’m going on that horrible ride with you, you’re sorely mistaken!”

Emma pouted. “Pleeease!”

“You’re not talking me into this, sweetheart. Why don’t you ask Henry? Or your father!”

Snow White squealed with joy. “Sweetheart! She said sweethe…”

Charming turned around and said “I heard, Snow, I was here”.

Emma sighed. “Okay, anyway. But you’ll wait here for me, right Mm...gina? You coming, dad?”

Charming’s face lit up, and he called to his wife “I’ll be right back Snow, taking Emma on the scary ride!”

“Who’s going to help me here? You can’t just leave, David! I mean, I guess…” She looked at Regina, who wanted to disappear and almost wished she had gone to the haunted house with Emma. “Regina! Come here, I have a spare apron for you!”

Emma laughed, and pulled her father away. Regina sighed, and turned towards Snow.

“You think someone will want to buy “unpoisoned” apple turnovers from the Evil Queen?”

Snow White clapped her hands excitedly. “It’s perfect!”

***

Half an hour later, Regina had sold more apple turnovers than Snow had sold all morning, and she found herself actually enjoying her time with Emma’s mother. 

That changed when she saw Charming running towards them, without Emma. She saw something in his eyes that made her heart drop.

“Where’s Emma?”

“Come with me, Regina”, he breathed. Snow couldn’t even ask what was happening, Regina and Charming were out of there so fast.

For the second time that day, Regina _almost_ ran. She tried to keep up with David, who didn’t say a word, but after a while, she spoke up. “David, wait, what’s going on?” Charming slowed down a little.

“She’s not okay. I thought she was, I thought she was okay with you, but she’s not.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m… that came out wrong. We were in the haunted house. She was having fun. Then we rode into a tunnel, and it was pitch black. When we got out, Emma was pale as a ghost, and she didn’t… it was like I wasn’t even there. She didn’t see me, or hear me.”

Regina’s chest tightened. “Where is she? Charming! Where is Emma?”

The deputy shook his head, frowning. “I don’t know. She kept saying she wanted her mommy.”

Regina stopped dead in her tracks. Her head was spinning. She pinched the bridge of her nose. “And you… you got me…”

“For Christ’s sake, Regina, of course I got you. I’m not stupid. I knew she wanted you.”

There was no time for explanations. For now, she just had to accept his words, and deal with them later.

“Alright. Where was she when you left?”

“Behind a food stand, in an alley. She walked there after we got off the ride, with her purple balloon, and I just followed her… Regina, she didn’t react to me at all. I had to leave her and come get you. I happened to see Archie, and I practically begged him to stay near Emma. It was right over there... they’re not there anymore...”

Regina looked around. No blonde hair or purple balloon in sight. She was half glad that Charming had asked Archie to watch her, and half worried that it would make Emma worse. Whatever had happened, she needed to find her, and make sure her little girl was safe.

She picked up her phone, and called Emma. The call went straight to voicemail. "Emma sweetie, it's going to be okay. Please let me know where you are. I'm worried!" She left the message, and put her phone back into her coat pocket. 

“Let’s split. You search towards the police station, and I’ll go left towards city hall. If you find her, call me, please. You know how much it takes for Emma to let anyone see when she’s not well. I’m worried. Please call me, Charming!”

“Regina… what is going on with her? She’s changed… and I can’t tell if it’s good or bad.”

The mayor gave Prince Charming a sad smile. “It’s both, David. But it’s not my place to tell you about it. Give her time, and be there for her when she needs you, okay? And I promise you I’m doing the same. She is very… very loved.”

David nodded, and squeezed her upper arm. “I know you love her.” Regina wanted to protest and tell him that she meant all of them, but he shushed her, and went off to look for his daughter. And Regina did the same.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened to Emma before she ran away? Will Regina find her?
> 
> Please read chapter notes!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING!
> 
> I have a huge trigger warning for child sexual, physical, and mental abuse in this chapter! PLEASE be safe!
> 
> This chapter was hard to write, and I'm sure some of you will sadly understand why.
> 
> Take care of yourselves you wonderful people!

All of Regina’s senses were tuned to finding Emma. Something about what Charming had told her scared her to death, and she tried to push it away, so she could concentrate on getting to her girl, and making sure she was as okay as she could be. 

It was absolutely like Emma to run away. But Regina had no idea if she had run away as big Emma, little Emma, very little Emma, or scared Emma, or abused Emma. Or all of them combined. She didn’t know what had happened in the dark tunnel. Maybe a panic attack, or a flashback, a body memory, or something had scared her. Maybe she had got sick. Maybe something had attacked her in the dark. Regina’s heart nearly jumped out of her chest. She _had_ to find her Emma.

She got her phone out of her pocket again, and called Archie. It rang, but there was no answer. _Damn that cricket._ She took a deep breath, realizing that placing blame on others wouldn’t help her find Emma faster. 

She was walking past people, and they all looked familiar enough, but nobody she could trust asking if they had seen her precious Emma. They didn’t care about her the way she did, they didn’t know what was at stake. 

She needed a plan. Where would Emma go? She was on foot, her bug was still at the mansion. If she was still little, there was no telling what she would do. Big Emma would probably go home, or to the sheriff’s station, or maybe the bar… the latter two were on Charming’s way.

“Hey, Regina!”

She wanted to snap at whoever it was that dared to speak to her in this moment, but she turned around, and saw Ruby standing there.

“Is everything okay, Regina?”

The mayor nodded, but at the same time, said “I don’t know, Miss Lucas… have you seen Emma?”

Ruby shifted onto her other foot, and looked at Regina with a curious expression.

“I haven’t, but Archie just asked me if I’d seen you? Is there… is the town in trouble again?”

“No, not that I’m aware. I just need to find Emma. She’s not with Archie then.”

“Call her?”

Regina rolled her eyes. She didn’t have the patience for this.

“Just, if you see her, please let me know? And where did Archie go?”

“Will do. And Archie went towards Snow’s booth, I think, looking for you.”

Had Emma run away from Archie too? Why wasn’t she with him? Fear rose in her chest again, and she desperately looked around, trying to find a sign. She needed to find Archie, he was the last known person to see Emma. She got her phone out to try to call him again.

In that moment, the device in Regina’s hand rang. She quickly glanced at it, and read “Snow White calling”. Should she? She didn’t want to explain to Snow what was going on, but maybe she knew where Emma was?

“Hello? Snow?”

“Regina, I have no idea what’s going on, but meet Archie in front of his practice. Is everything okay, Regina? Where is David? Where is Emma?”

The mayor took a deep breath. This was not Snow White’s fault. “Yes, don’t worry. We’ve just been looking for Emma. She wasn’t feeling well, and we keep missing her. I think Archie knows where she is, so I’m going to talk to him now. David will tell you everything. I need to go, Snow.”

With that, she ended the call. And then, Regina ran, again. It was only a short way to Archie’s practice, but she was out of breath when she got there. When she finally stood in front of him on the sidewalk, he put both his hands on her shoulders.

“Calm down, Madam Mayor. She’s in my office.”

“Is she okay?”

Archie looked at her sadly. “She is very scared…”

“And you left her alone? Let me in! And let David know I’m with her and to stay away for the moment.”

“She’s not alone, my kitten is with her.”

Regina just did not care. She pushed him aside, and opened the door. When she was halfway up the stairs, Archie called out to her again.

“Regina! I’ll be downstairs in my apartment. Come get me if you need help.” She barely heard him.

She carefully opened the door to the room she knew so well. She had spent a lot of time in it, after all. She didn’t see Emma right away. She was not on the couch, or in one of the chairs. Regina walked around Archie’s desk, and behind it, Emma was sitting on the floor. A black and white kitten, barely older than a few weeks, was sleeping in her lap. Her little girl looked so small. She had taken off her coat and boots, and her sleeves seemed way too long for her arms, she had pulled them all the way to her fingertips.

Emma wasn’t looking at her, even though she had to have heard her come in. Regina slowly let herself drop to the floor, with some distance between them.

“Hey”, she said, smiling gently.

The blonde didn’t say anything, and kept looking at the kitten. A sad smile formed on her face, letting Regina know that she had heard her. Then, she held out her hand, and the mayor put her own in it. Emma slowly guided their joint hands to her lap, and Regina started petting the little fluffball. Soon, Emma joined her, and the baby cat started purring. Their hands touched, and Regina sought the physical contact, making sure it wasn’t too much.

Minutes passed before a small voice started talking. 

“There was a dark tunnel in the haunted house. And a… a voice that kept saying ‘I will get you. You can’t escape me. And I think you don’t want to.’ And then he laughed. It was… some pirate, he was standing on a ship, I saw him when we came out of the tunnel. I… I couldn’t breathe. I felt like… it was like… I was little Emma. But not _your_ little Emma. Everything hurt, and I felt sick. And I… Regina, I could smell it. It smelled like then. When… when I really was little.”

Regina hadn’t anticipated Emma to start talking anytime soon. Relief washed over her, at least her little girl was in the present again.

“Did you go back to when you were a child? Is that what happened?”

Emma nodded. “I didn’t mean to. I try not to remember.”

Regina tried to smile at the blonde. “Sweetheart. The situation triggered a memory, and you had to remember it in the worst way possible. By reliving it.”

Emma looked at the kitten in her lap, and started tickling its paws. “You’re perfect”, she whispered. Regina smiled. She would have to talk to Archie about adopting Emma’s new friend. Her “absolutely no animal fur in the house” rule went out the window in a heartbeat. Henry would be pissed.

“Do you know what happened after you and your dad got off the ride?”

“P… Pongo… brought me here… I think?”

“Yes sweetheart, Archie and Pongo did.”

“I think… I think I cried a lot. I’m sorry.”

Regina tried to make their eyes connect, but without success.

“There is nothing you need to be sorry for, my love.” 

“I wanted to die.”

Regina’s head snapped up in shock. “Emma”, she whispered, mentally trying to force the blonde to look at her.

Emma just kept petting the kitten, who was purring under her gentle touch. They sat in silence for what felt like an eternity. When Regina saw tears falling from Emma’s eyes into the soft cat fur, she tentatively extended her hand, and touched her little girl’s cheek, softly wiping away a flood of pain. Eventually, Emma turned her eyes from the kitten to Regina’s chest. She couldn’t look at her just yet, but it was a beginning.

Her voice, when she finally spoke again, was so small, Regina almost couldn’t hear her.

“I prayed every single night that I wouldn’t have to wake up in the morning. When I was a child.”

The kitten rolled onto its back, stretching all limbs, letting Emma rub its tummy.

“Did you feel like that again today?”

“Yes. I felt everything.”

All Regina wanted was to gather Emma into her arms and give her all the love she had. But she knew she couldn’t. Not yet.

“When he… when they t...touched me, it was… my fault.”

The mayor could feel tears building up in her own eyes, so she quickly looked down. After a second of composing herself, she gently lifted Emma’s chin, and said “Emma. Sweetheart. Whatever they told you, whatever they made you believe… it was never your fault! There are no ifs and buts, you were a little girl, you couldn’t have been responsible in any way.”

Emma’s eyes shot up, and she finally connected with Regina’s. She glared at her. She looked angry, and lost. Then, she quickly looked down at the kitten again.

“It was my fault because I liked it. I was a fucked up little girl. I’ve always been fucked up Regina, I always will be. It will always be my fault.”

Regina was horrified. She knew how abuse worked only too well.

“Emma, sweetie… can you look at me again?”

The blonde shook her head no.

“Would it be okay if I held you?”

Emma sniffled. Then nodded.

Regina carefully inched closer, and slowly put her hand on Emma’s back. The blonde hesitated for a moment, and then, with a sob, let herself fall into the safety of Regina’s arms. The brunette didn’t miss a beat, and held her closely with one arm, while the other gently led Emma’s head to her her shoulder.

“Sssh babygirl, everything will be fine sweetheart. You have been hurting for a very long time, and I have no words for how sorry I am that you had to go through all this. You did nothing wrong, Emma. Those people… they did horrible things to you, and they manipulated you into believing it was your fault. But it isn’t, it wasn’t, and it never will be.”

Unexpectedly and startlingly, Emma suddenly screamed in frustration, and then abruptly freed herself from Regina’s arms and got up, holding on to the kitten.

“They made me come, Regina! They taught me how to have an orgasm, and my body let them. Because I was bad, because I am dirty. I was a little girl, and they got me off. And I fucking loved it! It was the one thing that didn’t hurt. It was my reward for not wetting my bed. When I did, there was only pain. But when I was good, I got something out of it too. Now tell me again how I’m not the most disgusting piece of shit you’ve ever met.”

Regina’s heart shattered into a million pieces, and she couldn’t hold back her tears anymore. She didn’t know what to do or say. She knew that children were sexual beings just like most adults. She had raised Henry, after all. She knew it was natural for children to experience and enjoy sexual stimulation. She also knew that adults abusing that knowledge was the most heinous and disgusting thing ever. But she didn’t know how to make Emma believe her. Emma needed more than just her assurance, her love. If she was ever to heal from this, she needed real help.

She was pulled out of her despair by two hands placing a little kitten in her lap. She raised her head, and Emma was kneeling before her, her eyes reflecting nothing but agony.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told you. Now you know how fucked up I am, now you hate me. I made you cry mama. I’m so sorry.”

With those words, Emma let go of the kitten and started to get up. Regina, not really thinking about what she was doing, managed to grab her wrist with one hand, while she had the foresight to place the kitten on the floor next to her with the other. She pulled the blonde back down, and wrapped herself around any part of Emma she could reach.

At first, Emma struggled. Then, she broke. Her body went limp, and she crashed into Regina, completely silent. Shaking.

The mayor held her so close, connecting them in as many places as possible. She desperately threaded her fingers through the blonde’s hair, and whispered into her ear in a quiet melody. “I could never hate you Emma. You did nothing wrong, not now, and not when you were little. What you felt was completely natural. It is them who I hate. They broke you, and they made you believe it was your fault. I will never let anyone do this to you again. I will always be there for you. I will hold you when you need me to, and I will tell you a million times that it wasn’t your fault, until you start believing it. I don’t care how long it takes. I don’t care how many times you yell at me, or need your mommy, or need just Regina. If you need to or want to be little Emma, I will always be your mommy. And if you need to be big Emma, I will love you just as much, and I will be there for you just the same. I love you, Emma. As long as you let me, I will be there for you.”

Emma shook violently one last time, and then inhaled deeply. Regina could feel her heart beating against her chest. “You’re not leaving me”, the blonde stated in a painfully insecure voice. “Never, Emma”, Regina said.

“I love you too.” It was only a whisper, but Regina heard it clearly.

Finally, Emma looked up at her, her eyelids heavy with exhaustion. Then, she proceeded to sluggishly open a couple of buttons on Regina’s blouse. Regina remembered how Emma had needed to feel something that night she had told her about the bad guys. How she had become aroused and had started to touch her and grind herself into her. She was worried she’d have to stop her again. But this time, Emma just sunk against the newly exposed skin, right onto the spot where her heart was located. Then, she put her thumb into her mouth, and started to suck it. Regina held her tightly. 

After a few minutes, Emma lifted her arm, and her eyes fell onto Regina’s left nipple, which had started to strain against her bra from the rhythmic movement against her chest. Emma slowly removed her thumb from her mouth, and looked at it, and then at the little erect peak, and then up at Regina’s face. When the mayor realized what she was silently asking, she nodded. The blonde tentatively placed her finger on the lacy fabric, and gently caressed the little peak, and chuckled when it turned even stiffer. Regina helped her little girl reposition herself so she was cradling her, and then pulled her breast out of her bra. Emma looked at her once more for approval, and Regina whispered “it’s okay baby, if that’s what you want”. The blonde positioned her lips over the brunette’s exposed flesh, and then she wrapped them around her nipple, and started sucking it into her warm mouth, tongue pressed against the straining bud.

Regina gently massaged her scalp, leaning back against the wall, pulling Emma with her, making sure not to break their connection. She had never felt closer to anyone in her whole life. It felt incredibly right, and was heavenly pleasurable in a strangely innocent way.

The kitten had climbed on top of the mayor’s outstretched legs, and laid down in a tiny furry ball. It stretched its neck and yawned, and then put its head on its paws, and closed its eyes.

As she was slowly drifting away from consciousness, Regina could feel that Emma was also falling asleep. Her sucking became more reflexive than deliberate. Then, a tiny gasp. And then, the blonde let out a relieved moan that vibrated around the mayor’s nipple. Regina opened her eyes, and right away she noticed that the crotch of Emma’s jeans was slowly turning darker. Her little girl was emptying her bladder, and Regina was so moved and overwhelmed, she started to silently cry again.

***

Emma was positively terrified when she rose an hour later. She tried to move away from Regina without waking her, but the mayor hadn’t been asleep. The blonde tried to grab her coat to hide herself, but Regina was quicker.

“Let’s go home and get you changed, babygirl.”

Emma just stared at her.

“We can’t go back to the fair like that, Emma, you’ll catch a cold.”

“I… what? How are you so cool about this? I’m dying from embarrassment!” Her eyes went wide. “You’re going to punish me…” Her breathing became quicker.

“Emma! Listen! I will never punish you for something like that! Look at me!”

Emma reluctantly complied, and Regina took her hand.

“It’s okay sweetheart. You did nothing wrong. It was very emotional earlier, and you probably needed to feel very little for a while…”

“Oh my god, please tell me I didn’t… do it on you…”

Regina smiled.

“You didn’t. But even if you had, it wouldn’t change anything. Emma, you will never be punished for losing control of your bladder ever again. I want you to feel safe with me. Please don’t be scared.”

Emma exhaled, and looked down on herself.

“This is… I don’t know what this is. I’m a freakin’ adult. I’m so ashamed. I’m sorry I couldn’t control myself... I feel horrible...”

“Look. All this is so incredibly wrapped up in your past. You have never healed. It’s not your fault these things are happening. Maybe being little Emma and making new memories, learning that nothing bad will happen ever again if you wet yourself… maybe that will help?”

The blonde threw her arms around Regina’s neck, looking pretty ridiculous trying to keep her crotch as far away from Regina as possible. Regina smiled, and hugged her back.

“Let’s get you home sweetheart.”


End file.
